Help me
by Lady.Frostbite
Summary: Barry comes out to Joe and Iris but it did not have a good end. The only person who can help the boy have arrived and will bring the hell along because no one dare to hurt her boy. Snart meeting a woman who is ruined as it is and Barry will find love. The West bashing.
1. Chapter 1

The woman came out of the car and in front of her house stood Barry Allen; clothes dripping and eyes red. Freya noticed a few bags placed on the ground outside. With a heavy heart ,she cursed and grabbed Barry, dragging him to the bedroom.

Freya had ushered Barry into the en suite, where she was helping the young CSI to take off his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxers. Even though Freya's mind was panicking, a small part of her wondered how the boy had developed abs when he barely had time to work out. She pushed that thought aside. Barry looked terrible. He was shaking from the cold and it was clear that up until recently he had been crying. His expression was blank, as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings.

She carefully grabbed Barry's arm and guided him into the warm shower, letting him stand there for several minutes before cutting off the water. She was ready with a large fluffy towel to wrap around Barry, drying him off, before slipping him into a pair of Freya's brothers old sweatpants .

After another half an hour of fussing, Barry found himself curled up in a nest of blankets the couple had arranged on the couch, and palms warmed by the cup of hot chocolate Freya had thrust at him.

"Now sweatheart, do you want to tell me what happened?"

Barry tells her everything.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Are you sure?" Is what Joe had asked when Barry told him that he was gay a week ago as if Barry wasn't as sure he was gay as Joe was sure he was straight. Joe had asked him if he'd been with girls, to which Barry had nodded and said, "Yes. Guys too." He'd then shrugged and added, "I realized I like guys better."_

_Joe had quieted, lips tight in a stiff line and grunted as he proceeded to "tenderize" the meat they were having for that night. Barry thought he was hitting a little hard after that, but then again, he couldn't be sure._

_Now? Now, he was having doubts. "Hello," Barry waved a little awkwardly to a young woman with a skirt suit and thin framed glasses. She smiled at him and replied, "Hello." Her smiled reminded him a bit of Iris. Her hair, a bit of Felicity. Something felt.. odd._

_"Hey, there, Barr," Joe said as he stepped out of the kitchen with a towel over his shoulder. Barry could smell the seasonings to his favorite lasagna from the kitchen. His stomach rumbled with need. "Um.. I'm back," Barry tried to smile._

_Joe laughed and gestured to the woman. "This is Lise Anders." The blonde on the couch smiled up at him brightly. "She's new to the city and just started working at our bank as a teller. I figured she might like to have a nice home-cooked meal as a sort of 'welcome to Central' type."_

_Barry nodded slowly, making himself smile at Lise. "Welcome to Central. Smells like Joe's making the best lasagna in the city. I promise you won't regret it." Lise laughed lightly, "I'm sure I won't. I love lasagna."_

_"She also loves crime mysteries," Joe said. "Even that 'Criminal Minds' you're always going on about." The oven beeped and Joe stepped back into the kitchen._

_Barry set his bag on the side of the couch and eyed the recliner only to find it full of books. "Joe said he wants to get rid of them, but I offered to take them in." He looked back at Lise. "I love reading," she admitted with a faint blush._

_Smiling at her a little more, Barry nervously took the seat beside her on the couch as the recliner was just too full. "So do I," Barry equally admitted. "I love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work. Sherlock is the greatest."_

_Unease at the situation fading, Barry found himself animatedly talking to Lise, arguing about which Sherlock Holmes book was the best and how the mysteries played out. When Joe called them into the dining room for dinner, he found himself seated by Lise. It was odd. There were normally other chairs, but they seemed to be taken for potted plants. "Thought we needed some greenery around the house," Joe told him when he asked._

_Barry liked talking about things he loved and found himself telling her about his work and in turn asking about hers. She seemed nice enough._

_At least, until they retired to the living room while Joe washed dishes and cleaned up. This time, she appeared to sit closer to him as he told her about how the scenes in Criminal Minds were written from a forensic analysis' perspective. He scooted a little away from her only to find she'd scoot with him._

_Before long there was no room left to move and he'd politely told her that 'it would be cooler if you stayed on that end of the couch'. Barry swallowed as she smiled at him, lips red._

_What really clenched his unease with this new situation was when her hand rested on his thigh. Barry had frozen that instant and glanced at her hand and back at her, but she didn't seem to mind. Instead Lise began to talk about which couples in the TV show worked best together. She seemed to have a thing for Spencer. "Smart, lanky, but sexy," she'd told him as her hand slipped closer to the inside of his upper thigh._

_Something about the way she was looking at him made him want to push her off and run as fast as he could to his boyfriend. He honestly wanted to, but he couldn't. His boyfriend was away on business and couldn't be reached. It would seem weird if he called to Joe for help._

_Lise was suddenly plastered against him, hand palming him through his pants and lips on his. Barry was frozen stiff with shock, not quite registering that Lise was touching him in a very private place. She seemed to think Barry's shock was some kind of 'go on' because she started to work his pants open._

_The fingers trying to open his hands jolted him back to reality and he smacked her hands away, jumping off the couch and looking at her with wide eyes, jaw hanging. "What are you doing!?"_

_Lise frowned at him, not understanding. "I'm making a pass at you, silly," Lise said. "I heard you were single and 'just my type'." She licked her lips as she stood up, hand on her hip and the other popping her blouse open. "And you are."_

_Barry blinked at her, looking towards the kitchen, expecting Joe to come barreling out to see what the commotion is, but he wasn't there. He didn't hear a peep from the kitchen._

_"Oh, Sweetie," Lise said, "he left so we could have some privacy."_

_It hit him. Right there. At that moment. So hard. This was Joe's idea. Joe had set him up. This was what he wanted, to see his adopted son with a woman._

_Fury bubbled up inside of him and he had to keep himself from vibrating with hurt and betrayal. Glaring at the woman, he snapped, "For your information, I'm gay!" Lise blinked at him, stunned for a moment before she smiled at him again. "Are you sure?"_

_Barry gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Yes," he hissed angrily. "I like dicks." Burning with chaotic emotions, he grabbed his bag, swung it over his shoulder and marched out of the door. He spotted Joe sitting on the chair of their neighbor's with the old lady from next door._

_Joe had started to get up when he'd marched out. Barry looked at him and yelled, "I can't believe I thought you were sure you'd 'love me no matter what'!" He gladly threw that overused assurance at Joe's face, watching him grit his teeth. "If you hate having a gay son that much, we're no longer family!"_

_Joe opened his mouth, but Barry whirled around and stomped over to an out of sight place and tapped into his speed._

_END FLASHBACK_

''I will rip his heart out."

Her voice ,soft as the morning grass ,but also as hard as nails.

''What about Iris?''

Barry stared up at his aunt in growing silent terror.

Barry cleared his throat and croaked out a reply. "She took it really badly. Kept saying that I was confused and lying. Then when I convinced her that I wasn't, they started saying I was disgusting and evil. Then she said I wasn't family anymore and that I needed to get out. I'm so sorry for coming here, but I didn't know where to go. And sorry for making a huge deal about this, being all upset. You probably know so many people who have been in real homophobic situations and here I am, pretending like this is important!"

Freya grabbed Barry's hand and rubbed comforting circles on it. She hated how her boy was feeling. He was a good kid, a hard worker; he deserves better than this. She's never seen Barry so broken up. And to find out that Joe had allowed Barry to be molested to try and change his sexuality? She was beyond pissed.

''Sweetheart, look. Firstly, everyone here knows that what they said is complete bullshit." She smiled slightly at the shocked look on Barry's face when she swore. "Secondly, if they act like that, they don't deserve to be your family; you're so much better than them. Thirdly, I'm so sorry for all of this. It's an awful position to be put in, but know that there is always a spare bed here, and you're more than welcome to stay here until you sort yourself out. And finally, don't compare yourself to others. Sure others have it worse, but a lot of others have it better too. This is your own personal experience and it most certainly is both wrong and homophobic of them to treat you like this. You don't have to pretend it's nothing."

Barry stared at her, eyes round with wonder.

''Come on, let me show you your room''

She showed the young boy his new room and lay with him until he closed his eyes.

She walks out of the room towards the living room to see an old friend sitting on the sofa.

"What the fuck?!" Freya exclaimed in pure frustration.

''What?''asked Malcolm Merlyn. ''Are not you glad to see me?''

''Malcolm ,I'm glad to see you again''said Freya as she embraced the man and he embraced back.

''What are doing here?''

''I have some family business to take care of." She gave him a grin hoping not to worry him.

"What are you going to do? About West?" Malcolm asked from across the room.

Freya flashed him a smile that was anything but comforting. "What can I do? I'm not like the metahumans Malcolm keeps going on about from Undead Journal or whatever, I can't hypnotise him into forgetting. I'll just have to explain the situation and make sure he doesn't step out of line," he said

"But I'll be sure to have a... word with him," The woman growled and the man took a step back obviously understanding the implications of 'a word'..

How brave Malcolm was, staring down an angry woman from twenty feet away. Freya sighed. "Once upon a times he's has like a friend to me, I'm not going to hurt him. I'm not a monster."

Freya turned to leave, pausing only when Malcolm placed a hand on her arm. She glared and the boy met the woman eyes firmly.

"Freya... I don't think you're a monster. I just think sometimes you forget to be human," he said.

Freya came out of the house and walked to her car as she tried to find ways to torture Joe West.

When the door of the West's house burst open, Joe West wasn't even surprised. He had been kind of expecting it, if he was honest with himself.

He stared at the woman at the doorway, slightly amused and slightly disgruntled. She had been in Central City for less than a day, and here she were, already blasting door opens.

"Saying that I was expecting a warmer welcome it's an understatement." Said Freya with a cold voice

She was staring at the man with a huge grin plastered on her face as she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, shifting her weight from foot to foot in that annoying way of his. Her blue eyes were looking at him with amusement tinted with mischief.

The detective sighed. "Hi, Freya." He directed his attention back on his files hoping they would go away. No such luck.

The woman rolled her eyes as she walked in towards the man. "Joseph, you are no fun! Where is the joy and happiness about your friend being finally back in Central City after all these years?"

The man rubbed his temples tiredly as he looked up at friend of Henry Allen. Freya looked the same way as she's always been, maybe a little more jittery than he had been the last time he had seen her. His eyes narrowed. "Which brings the question. What are you doing here? You've always hated Central City."

The woman cracked a half grin, her black lip ring shifting slightly. Joe couldn't help but focus on it for a second. "Thought I'd come visit my friends, I haven't seen in years," Freya spoke with cockiness in her voice.

''And to see my beloved nephew''She added with smirk.

"Freya, you're not allowed to go anywhere near Barry, you know that. Now, I want you to turn this car around and go back to London and leave us in peace," Joe stepped back.

Freya walks to a chair and sat ,she put her legs on the desk and decided to answer ''I'm gonna make you suffer in ways uou spoiled ,little mind cannot possibly imagine''

''What the hell did you do to my little boy?." Freya asked coldly and her tone caused Joe to flinch.

If there was one person in this world Joe was afraid of it was the woman. She was not a force you wanted against you;

''I..Barry..You...Iris buh-buh.''

''Uh-buh-buh ,oh now you can't speak English?''Freya mocked.

"I plead the fifth," Joe mutters, fleeing the chair.

He knew the woman waiting a reply and he tried to remember if in the drawer has a gun for protection from this woman and her temper.

''I do not know''He said and he knew that the woman would not be happy to answer it because Freya glared at him and stood standing in front of the office with her two hands on the desk.

Before Joe or Freya can say something, the door opened and a woman walked in.

''The little bought rapist," Freya glares down her nose at them, icily.

The cop glares at her, while the other woman looks terrified for her life. Freya likes that look on her. The cop needs a matching one. "Now, now, Detective. It's easy for me to look at your fucked up face."

Freya takes a knife and slices the Detective's cheek as she's cutting the gag off. She shrugs and proceeds to do the same thing to the woman. Freya smirks.

"What the Hell is this, woman?" Joe demands. Freya looks at him, unimpressed by his faltering confidence. He's starting to sweat.

"This? This is what you get for hurting the one I love," Freya growls, bringing the butt on her gun down on the detective's head with satisfaction. "He trust you and you hurt him."

Joe winces as blood streams down the side of his head and glares at the woman. "Where is he?"

The woman doesn't stop as she slams Joe's head down on the ground, growling, "Wherever he is, he's safe and happier without you."

Freya looks at the woman, eyes narrowing. She's frightened and he can't help but enjoy it. "You touched my boy," she coldly tells her. The blonde woman swallows, trying to find words. It takes her a little while, but she digs out enough confidence to say, "He enjoyed it."

Freya glares at her, furiously. She jerks her head at Lise , humming with the knife in her hand and cuts Lise loose just enough to hold her hands out. She jerks in Freya's grip, but she holds her hands still.

''She never loved you''said Freya. ''And that's broked you''

''Mirror ,mirror on the wall who is the most broken of us all''Joe chuckled softly.

The vein in Freya Nova's forehead was about to brust. The man was sure of it. She had a completely black expression plastered on her face but Freya refused to comment and left the house


	2. Chapter 2

Every so often his gaze slid to the clock, but the time went by both far too slowly and far too speedily for his liking. He wanted it done and he wanted it done now. But he also never wanted it done. Without realising it, Barry had slipped into faster and faster breathing, now bordering on hyperventilation. The world blurred around him as his chest tightened, and only his subconscious seemed to realise that his legs had buckled and he now sat on the cold concrete of his lab.

"Allen, I want you to go over the samples for – oh shit!" Footsteps echoed across the room and someone knelt down beside the CSI. Vaguely Barry listened as a comforting male voice murmured reassurances in his ear, telling him to breath. Telling him that everything would be okay.

Several minutes slipped by before Barry had slowed his breathing down and collected his thoughts. Nervously he lifted his head and looked straight into the concerned eyes of David Singh; his boss. A deep flush crawled up his neck, and Barry's eyes darted around the room in the hope of avoiding the humiliation of his boss seeing him break down.

"Barry, can you please look at me?" Though it was phrased as a question, Barry knew an order when he heard it. Tentatively, he looked into the Captain's eyes once more.

"Could you please tell me what got you in this state?" Barry was shocked to hear the gentle concern in the man's voice. He coughed nervously, running a shaking hand through his hair.

"I like men."

Barry looked shocked with himself and Singh guessed this was the first time he had admitted it out loud before. He couldn't help but swell with pride, just a little, that he was the person Barry ended up confiding this to. Then he shook himself. Now wasn't the time for pride; it was the time to give comfort and support.

"And you think that they would have issues with that?" He was curious in what the answer might be. Joe had never disrespected him for his sexuality, but had never exactly voiced support either. He just carried on as if nothing happened; something Singh had appreciated greatly at the time. But now as he looked at the terrified kid in front of him, who was nodding slightly to his question, he wondered if he had misjudged Joe.

"Well, yeah. Basically. Joe has said – that is to say, he doesn't –" Barry broke off, and a frustrated look drifted across his face.

"Barry, you can be honest with me. Whatever you have to say, I'm sure I have heard it before." Singh commented gently.

"Okay well he has made a lot of comments. Like he'll see two men holding hands on tv or something and he'll say 'that's disgusting', and he was pretty angry when the whole gay marriage thing succeeded. Or when I got bullied in high school and called gay, he interrogated me to make sure that I wasn't gay, then was all sympathetic when he had deemed me an 'innocent victim wrongly accused of being gay'. As if me being gay would suddenly justify them for beating me up! It's just stuff he says sometimes that really bugs me. Same with Iris. She used to make heaps of comments about gay kids at school and at uni. It was awful. Like I know lots of people have legit reasons to be worried about coming out, like getting beat up by their parents or disowned, but I'm just nervous about telling him."

Singh listened patiently, waiting for Barry to get it out of his system. He had to admit, he felt disappointed that that was how Joe felt. He liked the man, and didn't like the idea that the man may harbour some negative emotions about him for being gay.

"Barry, you need to know that you have every right to feel worried. It's a scary situation to be in. I was terrified. And you should have seen Rob. Shaking worse than you are."

Barry just nods half-heartedly, so Singh decides to push forward.

"And what about loving Iris?"

"Well Joe kept talking about how magical it would be for Iris and I to fall in love and live happily ever after. I figured I should go with that. The last two times I 'declared my love' was when he was getting suspicious about me never talking about girls."

David was stunned. He by no means believed homophobia to be over, but he thought that by now, people going to such extremes to hide their sexuality would be over.

''But when I told them''

Barry told but interrupted by a woman's voice.

''You fucking asshole''

Barry and Captain looked at each other before went down to lobby.

The moment Freya saw the detective, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up with anger. She could feelhimself scowling, and Joe's gaze zeroed straight in on Len with a glare of her own. They locked eyes. Then, the woman stomped right over to Joe and pointed a finger straight at his nose.

''I will tear you limb from limb ,and only then when you are a writhing mass of blood and flesh will I rip your heart out from your chest'' Thye woman said in a dead serious tone

''Auny..Barry trying to say but cut off from two voices.

''Shut up boy''Freya commanded the boy standing beside her but did not get the eyes of Joe standing in front of..

''You okay Freya? You look murderous''asked Joe with fear and her heart softened at the sight, but her gaze remained impassive.

''Why you were at my house this morning?'

"We miss Barry. He's caused enough heartache in the family with his stunt. Just tell him to admit he isn't gay, and this will all be over. Iris has been crying so much because of him." Joe looked tired, but Freya couldn't find it in her to feel much sympathy for his detective.

''What did you say ?''said Freya and Barry smirked at his foster father with a warred look because he did not know he was acting against the devil himself.

''I's this close to losing my shit. I will go and bring the boy with me and If you try to stop me , I will tear off a very important part of your anatomy," she pointed a finger at him, and all men's hands went up in mock surrender.

Joe thought she wouldn't do it? She would, it just depended on who she told.

* * *

He spoke like Nora...

His words escaped with a crash, like a wave held back by a dam for too long. They were rambling, rapid, and often confusing. He referenced books and movies, and spoke every thing that came to his mind at the moment it happened.

H moved like Nora...

He was a bit clumsy, and moved as if there was something about to explode from within him. He never stopped, even when he sat.

The woman tooks a sip from her drink and looked at the environment she was in. The woman was sitting in Saints and Sinners ,whiskey in had and pulling out her phone and placing it on the table in front of him and staring at it.

Following the discussion had with the boy Freya needs a distraction and what was better than a drink but memories struck her like a rock.

She never like Joseph West as he have been in love with Nora and has tried many times to make the claim her. Last time she had seen him it was at doctor's trial and said that Freya was not the right person for the child to grow up with because she has worked for many hours and not had a steady man in her life for the boy to grow up. Freya never forgive herself to lose that trial.

"It doesn't matter how hard you stare at that glass – it doesn't have the answers you're looking for."

When Leonard Snart walked into his favourite dive bar around midnight after a hard day casing the Central City Art Gallery for the fifth day in a row, he knew immediately that something was different.

No one knew the woman who was dressed in a black one-shoulder top that hugged her curves in all the right places with a little bit of her stomach showing. Boot cut jeans and boots. Her hair was in loose waves and hung perfectly around her face and past her shoulders. It was the smokey eye she had done that did him in; the make-up around her eyes caused them to pop with a life that would draw any man (and possibly woman) into her web. She was dressed like a predator and len found himself wanting to be her prey.

And after them ,looked to his sister who was wrinkling her nails but Len could see the pain in the eyes of the girl. Lisa is pining about Cisco from the Flash team but the young man did not call his sister after their last meeting at the funeral of Henry Allen. All of them went to the funeral to support Barry even after Iris and Joe West tried to persecute them but a death glance by Caitlin was the only thing that stopped them. The Rogues respected the team Flash as Caitlin had provided medical care to them some times and Barry saved Axel and Shawna from a crazy snark. They offered a peace agreement between them until they were caught the Zoom which was dangerous metahuman and put them at risk of their own city.

Snart walked to the woman and stands beside her saying.''"It doesn't matter how hard you stare at that glass – it doesn't have the answers you're looking for."

"Yeah, well, if you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears."

Leonard melted at the sound of her voice; like Marilyn, coated in with honey, whiskey, and steel. His eyes flickered over to Mick, who didn't seem affected. He grunted and grabbed her by the arm once more and pulled her close; her tiny frame flush against Mick's hulking exterior, for some reason, brewed such strong jealousy he felt heat prickle his scalp.

"Rough day?"

She sent him a tight-lipped smile. "Rough year."

He smirked at her. "What's your name?"

"Leonard Snart."

Freya was smart enough not to react. She liked the blunt guy and he would be a great friend to have in the area. She needed to play it cool and show that she could hang without being stupid.

"I'm Freya."

He took the hand she offered, shaking it.

"You're new in town," Snart observed astutely.

Freya sipped her drink and seeing no reason to lie answered, "I'm helping a friend"

Snart quirked his head in contemplation of the mysterious woman.

The woman laughed with the face of the man but she can not comment as her phone ringing.

''Aunt'' said a male voice.

''Barry'' said Freya with concern in her voice and did not care that showed weakness because the boy it was the only person in her life that he can make her smile and laugh and she does not even want to imagine what happens if her nephew get hurt but this moment knows who is responsible for the pain of her nephew.

Leonard raised his brow to listen to this name and believes it was a coincidence that Barry Allen and this woman to know each other.

''Gotta go''said the woman throwing 20 dollars in the table and going out of the bar.

Oh and Leonard?" Celestia finally glanced over her shoulder, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

"Try not to look at my ass too much while I walk away."

Leonard just rolled his eyes as the door swung closed, and made a pointed attempt to look anywhere else until it had shut completely.

He will see her again.

* * *

"Barry, please! You're just confused. Maybe some metahuman has done this to you! Right, Cisco?'

Cisco did not look impressed, both with the question and being forced to involve himself with the situation. "Why yes, Iris. Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall a dangerous villain running around Central City, turning men gay." He shot a meaningful look at Barry, who just looked confused. "But we later found out that he's not a meta, he's just really hot. Well, hot isn't the right word to describe him, but you get my point."

Iris hissed in irritation while the others snorted. "Then Barry, you tell him to leave me alone! We're not connected to you anymore! You aren't welcome with us. Not until you show that you were making this whole 'being a queer' thing up!"

Iris spun on her healed and marched out the door. Eddie winced in sympathy. "Barry, I'm sorry, I tried to tell her not to come here. Don't listen to all that. I'll try to talk to her, get her to calm down. And, even though it isn't my business, good job on coming out." He squeezed Barry on the shoulder as he walked after Iris.

"So you're gay?"

Barry tensed, but nodded.

''So Barr, are you okay? Because it sorta sounded like they pulled a Rathaway on you." Cisco asked.

"Yeah, they did. It's alright though, I have somewhere to stay. I was going to stay in the Lab for a bit but then my Anut gave me a room at her place."

"You know, when Hartley came out, he slept in the lab too. Wells found him and let him stay with him. That was before all the mess between Wells and Hartley and just…everything. Anyway, on to other news. I have been reading news report after news report. 'The Flash saves young man from gay bashing, comes out as gay'. Any comments about what on earth happened on the way here?

With a wave, Barry left the lab.


	3. Chapter 3

At the moment, Snart was holding onto woman's file.''She's an interesting one,'' Snart mused.

Snart was very intrigued by the woman.

Well, Snart would watch the pretty Cpt., observe and then act. Upon reading the very likeable, Nova 's file, he personally wondered about the collective intelligences of the Agencies involved. Still, as far as Snart was concerned, it did not take a genius to figure out that putting that much temptation in the path of Cpt. Freya Nova was a really stupid idea. The file showed that racing was in her blood.

After she graduated from military school, SHE went to West Point, then did a tour in Iraq. After that, on to Airborne and another year finishing up Q course, qualification course. For the last four years SHE've been based out of Ft. Campbell, KY with the 5th Special Forces Group

Going back to looking at the file of Freya, Mick remarked. ''This one's too pretty to have to been in Army Special Forces''

Snart ignored his friend's comment and continoued smitting with the woman of the photor. A petite looking thing, one with daring chestnut eyes and flowing hair the color of coal. Full, wine red lips, parted

Leonard forced him to look away from those perfect, plush lips to meet her eyes once more; brows unfurrowed, just curious, excited, gazing dark eyes.

There's something unique and special about this one.

_I'm gonna steal her_, he decided.

* * *

The banquet hall was a huge room with mirrors decorating the walls, and high ceilings painted with exquisite pictures envisaging Gods and Goddess from Mytholia alike. Candle chandeliers hanging down from it and set up in the middle of the room was a dance floor. A band of sorts was playing on a stage nearby; tables with peach table clothes and a large bouquet of wild flowers in the middle, made the atmosphere seem more than romantic.

Barry sighed as he tugged at the edge of his suit sleeve. Currently he was in Starling with Cisco and Caitlin for Oliver Queen's charity event. Why he was even there was lost on him as he watchedhis friends and their partners give each other this look. Rolling his eyes Barry made his way deeper into the crowd, just to get away from his friends.

Many people believed that the fater man allive would not come to the even after the death of his father and the comment of Iris. A week had passed since his father's death and yet could not believe that he failed to protect him even Leonard and Lisa Snart with the rest of Rouge ,team Arrow ,team Supergirl ,Caitlin ,Cisco ,Laurel ,Sara and Wells had a different opinion. All of this had come to his father's funeral and supported him but at next day Iris published an article about the death of Dr. Henry Allen and the incompetence of the Flash to saves him. Oliver ,Leonard ,Kara, Caitlin and Sara were trying to kill the girl but Joe stopped it.

Barry left Cisco and Palmer and made his way to the bar. He wished he could get drunk because then at least this party might be some fun. His eyes scanned the crowd as he did, desperate for some social contact. Maybe Oliver's sister was there? It was a silent auction for a charity, all sorts of Starling's wealthiest and most prestigious people, so he really wasn't actually expecting to see anyone he knew.

He did a double take. He had seen someone he knew. Someone he definitely knew.

What the hell was Leonard Snart doing in Starling, at a charity—oh for fuck's sake. He was going to steal something. Of course he was. At a party at the Atom's house with the Arrow in attendance. Len was going to get himself killed.

Barry moved through the crowd toward the other man. He was standing off to the side, eyes scanning, alert but outwardly seeming relaxed, one hand holding a drink and another in his pocket. He was a wearing a really nice suit, dark grey with an undertone of blue, it that cinched and hugged in all the right places, stretched nicely across his chest. He was wearing an ice-blue tie that brought out his eyes and dammit, Len looked amazing. Barry wouldn't admit to jealousy about how well the other man filled out a suit under pain of death.

He was just breaking away from the rest of the crowd when Len spotted him. He saw the man's eyebrows go up and then an inquisitive expression cast over his features. Barry noticed that Len took a false-casual sip of his drink, but as soon as Barry was close, he started talking.

"Good to see you, Barry. Didn't take you for one to rub shoulder's with Starling's finest."

"I'm friends with the host."

"Oh?" Len cocked his head a bit, gaze intense. "Full of surprises, aren't you kid?"

"Look, Snart, whatever you're planning to steal," Barry stepped closer and pitched his voice down as he spoke, "don't do it."

"And why not?"

"You do realize that the Starling City Vigilante has a bit of a reputation for putting arrows into people, right? And has been known to gatecrash one-percenter events?"

"Know something I don't, Barry?" his eyes were narrowed now, not letting go of Barry's gaze.

"Only that you'll regret whatever you're up to."

"Worried about me?"

"Worried about my reputation," Barry lied quickly. "The Flash's nemesis shows up in Starling? The Arrow won't let me live it down."

Len arched an eyebrow, "so you do know him."

Shit. Barry glared off to the side, mentally regrouping. "He doesn't take kindly to people messing up his city, Len."

The other scoffed, "I'll take my chances."

Barry opened his mouth but before he could speak, he heard another voice behind him. "You didn't tell me you invited the Flash on our road trip, Len."

Snart gave Barry a once over and a smirk.

"So I heard from various sources that you prefer men. Should've seen in coming, kid."

"Snart, leave now." Oliver's voice called to him.

"Sorry Robin Hood, just give me a minute. I'm just chilling with my favourite CSI for a moment."

Everyone around them stopped. Ray, Felicity, Caitlin, Oliver, Cisco ,Laurel ,Sara, Kara, Thea, John, Roy and Tommy tensed. They did not need a stupid, homophobic prick of a thief undoing all of his work in helping Barry with a few cutting remarks. Barry for his part, was looking down at his feet, scuffing his boots against the ground. The man gritted his teeth as Iris called out to Barry.

"See? Even Snart can see it isn't right!"

Before Oliver could even calm himself enough to respond, he watched as Snart's eyes took on an icy look and turned to glare at Iris.

"Actually, what I was about to say," he barked out, before looking at Barry with a tender smile, "was congratulations. Mick also passes on his regards to his 'Doll', and Hartley said he will see you next pride march. We all will, kid."

''Thanks''said Barry walked away from him. Barry noticed that Oliver seemed to be spending an awful lot of time with the many attractive women he had invited. He has a crush in the billionaire for months now. After he gave up on Iris, he thought it would be a hard road because he had a crush on her for most of his life. But caught him in surprise, he went through that easier than he thought. He even can't be happier for Iris to found her one. And he found someone too.

And seem like he no good at hiding his crush. Everyone knows it.

As he was lost in his thoughts he ended up bumping into someone. Quickly he reached out, helping the young woman steady.

"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry!" He cried out. The woman just gave a charming smile in response as she smoothed out her black dress.

"It's alright hun." Her gaze slid over him before looking back at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, if you really feel bad, how about a dance?" She questioned as she leaned forward. Barry mentally cursed as he felt his face heat up.

"I-uh… I c-can't um-"

"There you are Barry." a smooth voice interrupted Barry's awkward stammering. A familiar voice at that. Barry felt his jaw drop as over walked She was wearing a simple black dress with somewhat wide straps. It clung to her curves and hit her just above the knee, showing off her long, shapely legs. The neckline exposed a lot of her creamy skin and dipped low, emphasizing her cleavage. Finally able to take his eyes off her body, he looked at her face. Her hair was down, a bit of a natural-looking curl to it, and her makeup was light, drawing attention to her eyes. God, her eyes never looked so amazing, so mesmerizing.

''Aunt''said Barry ,walking to her side and kissed her hand.'' you look-"the young man began as he tried to find the right words to describe the beauty of his aunt.

"Beautiful. I know." Freya finished his sentence.

"Actually, I was going to say sophisticated." Barry replied.

"No you weren't." She said.

''And you''said Freay glared at the woman. The journalist turned to the voice of the voice and saw the woman who admired and feared at the same moment.

''Miss Nova''said iris seeing the woman who has haunted her childhood dreams.

"Freay,I hope you remember my daughter," Joe introduced.

"It's nice to meet-" Iris began.

"How old are you girl?" Freya interrupted her greeting.

How rude, Iris thought. "Twenty-two," she replied meeting her scrutinizing gaze.

"Are you married?"

"No."

"Betrothed?"

''_What the hell?_ ''Iris thought.

''No''

Freya shook her head. "You became a recluse and raised a spinster daughter," she said turning to Iris. "I expected better from you, Iristala."

Oliver cleared his throat at that comment, giving Barry a pointed look.

Barry blushed, finally realizing exactly where they were and that absolutely everyone was watching. "Umm, guys I would like to meet my aunt all by blood. Freya Nova.''

Catching the slightly bewildered look on the Oliver's face, Freya decided it was time to be official again. Offering the man an apologetic smile, she extended her hand. "I'm sorry for my rudeness, you must be Oliver Queeb. Bartholomew's spoken highly of you."

Oliver, trying to ignore Barry's blushing and whined "Aunt!" from where he buried his face against woman's chest, shook his hand. Glancing at his embarrassed CSI, he offered the man a smile. "Yes, well, Mr. Allen certainly is something." And promptly wanted to facepalm as Barry smiled brightly at him like he'd just given him the best compliment in the world. "We really are lucky to have him in our life''

''I see familiar face''said freay looking around the room.''Someone of them doesn't like me'

''I'm sure it's not the first time someone hasn't like you ,aunt F''said Barry as the woman grapped a glass of whiskey by the waitress passed in front of her.

''Who doesn't like me?''asked the woman as she walks a long way from them leaving behind many questions about her presence in Barry's life.

A the same time Roy ,Laurel and Tommy shook their heads sadly.

"This is so pathetic," John commented.

"I can't believe that he's our leader," Roy muttered.

"Where is my camera when I need it?" Laurel wanted to know, "I swear, this is prime blackmail material and I'm missing out."

"We really need to do something guys," John decided. "This has gone too far."

The trio watched as Oliver smiled at something Barry was saying.

"They're so obvious," Tommy noted.

Indeed they were. To them, it was clear Oliver and Barry had feelings for another. Hell, they saw it the first time the two of them were in a room together. The chemistry was undeniable. Yet, every time they brought it up to Oliver over the past couple of months, the blonde ignored them or denied the claims vehemently.

However, every time Oliver phoned Barry or Barry phoned Oliver, Oliver was in a better mood. His teammates knew how much he missed the brunette and how disappointed he was when Barry turned down their offer to join them.

But Oliver refused to admit it, which they didn't understand at all. His feelings were definitely reciprocated. Barry had been staring at Oliver with an adoring look in his eyes ever since he got there. And Oliver, despite being so good at observing people, was missing it completely.

They had all seen how devastated Oliver had been once he heard the news that Barry and Patty had went on a date. And they had all observed his delight when he found out they broke up, no matter how subtle he was trying to be about it. So now Barry was single and there for the taking and their leader was doing . . . nothing? It didn't make any sense, to any of them.

"We should do something," Laurel murmured, keeping his voice low so that only Toomy and Roy heard.

"But what?" Tommy asked. Then his eyes lit up. "I think I have a plan guys."

"You do?" Roy asked doubtfully.

"I can come up with plans too," Tommy said defensively.

Meanwhile the three of the planning ,Oliver was so tired. He was tired of getting hurt every night. He was tired of hiding it the next morning. He was tired of hearing Felicit's lectures. He was tired of pretending to be playboy Iliver Queen. He was tired of being tired, of never actually getting even five consecutive hours of sleep. A part of him was even tired of being Green Arrow. He really was tired.

He was tired of being in denile, too. Oliver was a good swimmer, but even he got tired (undoubtedly do to the fact that he was a human being with actual limits that he never seemed to acknowledge). Eventually, he couldn't keep himself afloat in that river in Egypt, and now he was drowning in all the lies he fed to the world and to himself everyday.

The lie that he was apathetic to people he actually cared about. The lie that he was straight. The lie that Green Arrow had no time for petty things like Love. The lie that he was too busy saving Starling, saving the world, to care about somebody on that level.

The lie that he couldn't fall in love.

Of course he had tried not to. He had done everything in his power to avoid it. He ignored him, distanced himself from him, avoided him like the plague, was rude to him in an effort to receive the same treatment back, told himself over and over again that the long list of cons greatly outweighed the short pile of pros, most of which might never exist, so it was only logical to avoid those messy things called feeling. He reminded himself that it was foolish to fall in love, because anything that falls ends up braking. The Arrow, and Oliver Queen too, had broken far too many times to risk it again. It was far too dangerous to fall, to risk it. The only way it was safe, the only way he could consider entertaining the possibility of allowing these feelings was if he was sure he would be caught when he eventually fell. Oliver was too heavy for the average person to catch.

Some of the boys at Excelsior had experimented. When you were at a male boarding school there always some who did. Because he was an orphan, he had made sure he was popular; he probably would never have survived being isolated. Being popular had not allowed any weaknesses to be shown. Sometimes Oliver had envied the relationships between the other boys. However, he had never met anyone that attracted him enough to try it.

Later, he had thrown himself into partying hard. He slept with many women and it had been fun. The few times a woman started to get under his skin, he'd always sabotaged the relationship. He was convinced they couldn't handle his lifestyle.

The first time he met Barry, his attraction to him had thrown him. The confrontational nature of their early conversations had kept his mind off his feelings. But Barry's presence, his stunning features, and his underlying sweet personality had drawn him in. Making Oliver want to confide in him, to want to see his potential fulfilled with him by his side.

To get him to smile.

Freya rolled her eyes at the mayor of Starilng.

Love..

She sighed and took another swig of pop. It was a strange thing being here like this. There weren't many people that he could relax and be himself with. At that moment, Greya caught sight of someone turning the corner into the carpeted hallway that lead to the bar and the function room. The man caught sight of her at the same time, smiled, then made his way over to her.

Leonard Snart in a very nice custom suit that was a dark blue, almost black.

"You are the woman who turned the detective West to two face''

Freya mirked.

With a wry look, Freya took the glass of ginger ale out of Leonard's hand and swigged it down. Leonard raised his eyebrow, "Thirsty?"

The woman returned her gaze to him, licked the fiery tartness from her lips, and then his full lips curled, "I want to drink my self out."

"Looks nice and moist to me."

Freya blinked slowly at him, and then glanced at the bar, and realised there wasn't a bartender at this alter-ego filled shindig. The woman walked around the bar, and asked casually, "Do you want me to fill you up?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "I think I'll have a ginger ale for now."

Freya pursed her lips, and set down two glasses on the bar and filled them with soda. She reached for one. She took a sip, meeting his eyes over the rim. She lowered the glass, and murmured, "You're flirting with me again, Mr Snart."

Snart's lips turned up at the corners, and he replied coyly, "I know."

Freya nodded, "One day you're going to have to do something about that."

He smiled, "I'll have to put it on my to-do list."

Snart turned back to Freya,''What about a dance?''

She let the man lead her to the dance floor. The two waited until the current song finished and walked into the middle of dance floor, hands clasped together

On their way there they passed Barry and the flarrow team with Malcolm who gave Freya a mildly concerned look, noticing her company. The woman just gave him a tired smile as a reply and continued walking, Snart steadily walking by her side.

Freya slowly placed her hand on Snart's shoulder and another in his hand, which was surprisingly warm since she could feel the warmth even through her gloves. Snart smirked deviously, securing his arm around her tiny waist.

The two leisurely swayed to the rhythm of the song, neither of them , as the tempo moved up a notch and the beat changed, Snart and Freya moved through all the twists and turns of the salsa. He had to hand it to her, she was keeping up with him easily, as she spun and ended with her back to him. He spun her back, as he noticed the others watching them, laughing, clapping. She pulled away and he pulled her back, their bodies entwining and disentwining in an endless rhythm. As he felt the music shift, heading towards its crescendo, he dipped her towards the ground, before bringing her back up, one knee raised to his hip. Her arms had ended twined around his neck, her body pressed against his, and her eyes stared into his. He had never noticed how beautiful her eyes really were until that moment.

''"That was hot."he said jokingly.

"Actually, I like things cold," she said with a smirk. She abruptly focussed on the lips just in front of hers, the dishevelled hair beneath her fingers, the strong hand holding her knee, and the crisp black linen pressed against her torso, concealing the perfect body within.

_Okay, maybe not steal then. Borrow._


	4. Chapter 4

That was the third time she saw the man. The first time, Freya spotted him watching across the street from the gym. Then there was the night Freya left in a huff after finding out about Barry and Zoom. Now he was standing near the entrance of the gym when Freya stepped from the taxi.

"You've been following me," Freya stated evenly.

The man smiled at him. "Maybe."

"If you want something, just say it. I don't have time for games."

The woman glared at him and Leonard examines her with interest. Her hair out of place, he attempts to tuck it back behind her ear but she slaps his hand away, to which he grabs her wrist – her skin, so soft and smooth, warm to his touch but cool at the same time – while clicking his tongue, disapprovingly.

He gazed at her, taking in every part of her face and unconsciously moving closer towards her, until he was snapped out of it when she wrested her arm away from him. He kept his lips pressed hard together to keep himself from smiling.

"What the hell do you want?" Freya demanded.

"Well that's rather simple, isn't it?" Snart moved back into his space. That time when his arm slipped around Freya's waist, pulling him close, Freya realized his actions were out of possession rather than a threat.

The woman slapped him hand away, glaring at him.

"Well, I see she's certainly a feisty one," he said, scowling.

" Yeah?" Freya inquired.

Snart had closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth to Freya's effectively cutting off the dismissive snark on Freya's tongue. Immediately, the air around them was searing hot despite the cold air. Hands were exploring and tugging, and lips and tongues were sucking and licking, low moans escaping from them. Snart pushed Freya against the wall and pushed her knee between his thighs, and Freya unashamedly wrapped a leg around his hip in response.

Freya gripped the collar of Snart's jacket and pushed him back far enough to make him stumble. "Why did you do that?" she snapped. She felt somewhere between angry and panicked.

"Because I wanted to. You're only mad because you did too."

''What the hell?''

A beautiful woman with flowing wavy brown locks was deftly curling a suture needle through Mick's face. He was wincing quite terribly but never jerked away once. Her lips puckered in concentration as she got the last suture in. As she tied off the last stitch on Mick's face, he got up, looked at himself in the mirror. The woman sighed, straightening up and looking at Snart.

''What the hell brother?''

''This asshole''said Freya looking at the other woman.''It is your brother?'''

''Yes''said Lissa and Snart followed where Lisa was looking and noticed that the vet hadn't been staring at Freya, but at the knife that was in the woman's hand.

The knife that was currently brushing gently against Snart's neck.

As if seeing everyone's reactions, Freya pressed the knife a little more to Snart's skin.

"Tell Jack Frost over here to put me down, and then I'll think about not killing him," Freya hissed.

Snart instantly put her down without hesitation. There was something about Freya's tone that said the woman would go through with his threat, if they didn't listen to her.

"Sweatheart, you should train your dog a little better or at least keep him on a leash." Freya calmly sighed as she put the knife back in her pocket before disappeared into the alley.

Snart went after her, grabbing her by the wrist as he caught up.

"Let go of me, Snart."

"You won't get rid of me," he said in Freya's ear

* * *

Initially, he thought he was merely reading too much on the current status of his relationship with Barry, of how they seemed to have grown closer since the invasion incident. It might have begun exactly during the time he asserted his unwavering belief to the speedster, not wanting to blame him for the alteration of the timeline that caused the extraterrestrial visit, despite the strong expression otherwise by the combined teams of Legends and Team Arrow and Team Flash.

It was so wonderfully crazy this thing that was happening. Ever since Arrow and Flash had met and started helping each other out from time to time, he'd felt an openness with Barry that he'd never known before. It wasn't a lifetime of knowing someone like with Felicity; or the day to day working with his sidekick, it was the sense of wanting to share everything of himself with Barry.

If someone had told him before he met Barry Allen, that someone could one day appear in your already complicated life and slot so easily into being your friend, with no effort at all, he wouldn't have believed it. With all the super powers that he possessed, the most amazing one was how Barry could disarm you with just a smile.

He was proud to be his friend too, have him as his best friend. Barry was one of those people that he could be himself with. Even more so, from the day that they had met, there was an underlying playful banter to their encounters that sometimes he felt was a little too close to flirtation. As they got to know each other, Oliver came to realise that there wasn't anything 'too close' about it; they really were flirting with each other.

''I don't love him''

Felicity shook her head. 'Say that to the constant lovestruck looks you're giving him.' Felicity was a woman of many surprises, this won first prize for sentences that caught Oliver off guard. He wasn't able to form a coherent sentence before Felicity continued, 'What? You're really going to deny it?'

'Felicity, I don't like Barry Allen,' Oliver said, his tone slowly turning into his Arrow voice.

'You do,' Felicity protested with a grin on her face.

Oliver shook his head with a sigh. 'Are we ten now?'

'You really do,' Diggle chimed in after being quiet for so long, Oliver almost forgot he was there. He shot a glare at Diggle. Honestly, this reminded Oliver of a scene that took place in a playground when he was ten.

Oliver sighed and decided to take a sip of his coffee, he knew he was fighting a losing battle, at least his coffee wasn't going to start singing that stupid song about kissing in a tree anytime soon.

But Felicity wasn't going to let this go. 'Oliver, the look you give Barry is something I can't even explain, but anyone can see how much you care for him.'

'Of course I care for him, he saved my life,' Oliver defended, trying to sound firm but failing miserably. Okay, Felicity had a point, but it didn't mean that he liked Barry, or did it?

'The way you smile when he's around, it actually reaches your eyes. I don't think we've ever seen you that happy,' Felicity continued. Then she turned to face Diggle, who looked way too amused at the scene unfolding before him. 'Right, John?'

'It's true. I know love when I see it, Oliver,' Diggle offered.

'I don't love him,' Oliver said, forcing a laugh as a last resort in his one man war to prove that he wasn't in love with Barry Allen.

Felicity rolled her eyes. 'And that conversation you had with Barry on the roof?' Okay seriously, how was Felicity remembering all this, or more importantly, how did she know about that conversation? 'I overheard it,' she explained when Oliver shot her a raised eyebrow. 'But that's not important right now, Oliver!' she protested before Oliver could say anything about privacy.

'Exactly, so can we please move on to more important matters than this conversation?' Oliver pleaded, keen to change the subject before his friends could uncover his feelings for Barry Allen that he'd tried so hard to push away for months now. He didn't need Barry as a distraction, he reasoned, it'd never work out anyway.

'No,' both Felicity and Diggle said simultaneously.

'Come on, Oliver, just admit it,' Felicity pleaded.

Oliver sighed for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour itself. Then he stood up, he was losing this battle, and when you're losing a battle, retreat. 'I have an appointment,' he announced.

'With the one and only,' Felicity mumbled. 'Please don't shoot him.'

'Oliver, you deserve some happiness in your life,' Diggle remarked before Oliver could walk away. Oliver nodded, finding himself incapable of a comeback because of course Diggle would understand, of course Diggle would know what Oliver knew deep down in his heart but was too afraid to admit. Of course Diggle knew what to say, because he always did.

Outside of Arrow's Cave ,Barry and Roy were laughed as Tommy was watching the scene with great amusement. Hearing Oliver exit, he had to stop himself from rubbing his hand together gleefully.

Too bad Oliver's eyes were focused on the papers he was holding. Immediately, he sped to his leader's side.

"Oh Robin Hood," Tommy sang. Oliver looked up and smiled at him.

"What Tommy?"

"I was just thinking," Tommy said slowly.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "What's the occasion?"

Tommy just smiled. "I wanted your opinion on something."

"Go ahead," Oliver said.

"Do you think Roy and Barry make a cute couple?" Tommy asked suddenly.

Oliver froze, the smile draining from his face. "Excuse me?"

Tommy pointed to where they were standing and Oliver followed his gaze.

And Oliver Queen saw red.

What the hell are they doing? Oliver was furious. Roy and Barry were way too close for comfort and Barry's hand was . . . Oliver had to remind himself to breathe.

Barry was his and Roy had no right going around flirting with him. And what was worse was Barry was flirting back. He could see the brunette smiling at him. He smiles at me like that. Barry should only ever smile at him like that.

His heart ached but most of him was enraged. He wanted to go and tear Roy to pieces.

Tommy slipped away and met Laurel's eyes, who saw Ollie's reaction and was pleased. This was going exactly the way they wanted it to go. Only Barry and Roy were oblivious of the glares being sent their way.

"You know," Oliver said icily, aiming his remarks at the flirting pair. "We are supposed to be working and the last time I checked, that doesn't include having your hands all over each other."

Immediately they separated but far enough for Oliver's liking.

"Ollie, relax," Roy said casually, though his heart was racing. Oliver was scary when he was upset. "We're just talking." To prove his point, he rested his hand on Barry's shoulder.

Oliver took a few steps toward them and glared menacingly. "Hands off."

"What?" Roy asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"I said," Oliver snapped, "Hands off. Get your hands off of him. Right now." AC did as he was told and Oliver turned his glare to Barry.

He made his way to the brunette and grabbed his arm. "As for you, you come with me." Then he pulled him along, Barry too taken aback to do anything but allow himself to be led away from the group. They disappeared out of sight and Roy let out a sigh of relief.

"That went well," Tommy said. Laurel and Roy glanced at each other.

"I think we can say mission accomplished?" Roy questioned.

"Not yet," Tommy said. They waited for any loud noises. "But from the way it's going, I think we're definitely getting there."

"Oliver," Barry protested, as Oliver continued to drag him. "I can walk on my own."

Oliver didn't stop until they both reached his bedroom. Slamming the door behind him, he let go and crossed his arms, staring at Barry.

"What was that all about?" Brry wanted to know. Truth be told, he had never been more turned on. Jealous Oliver was a sexy Oliver.

"You're asking me that question?" Oliver stated incredulously. "What the hell was that back there?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Barry said. "I was just talking to Roy."

"You were all over him," Oliver argued. "I know flirting Barry and that was exactly what you were doing."

"So?" Barry challenged. "What if I was? How does it affect you?"

"It affects me in every way," Oliver said, trying to stop himself from yelling. Taking a few calming breaths, he added, "You are not to touch him ever again. And if I see his hands on you one more time, I'll break them."

The underlying warning in his voice sent shiver up Barry's spine but he couldn't stop himself from provoking Oliver further. He needed a reaction, any type of reaction, to prove that the blonde had more than platonic feelings for him.

"You can't do that," Barry told him, his tone surprisingly stable.

"I can," Barry said with a glint in his eyes, "And I will."

He closed the distance between them and Barry slowly started to back away. That didn't stop Oliver from coming closer and eventually, Barry hit a wall.

Oliver continued to make his way to him until there was no space between them.

Oliver wasn't thinking straight; he couldn't. All he could see was Barry and all his previous restraints and inhibitions were gone.

Pressing Barry against the wall, he almost groaned at the feeling of having his body up against Barry's. It was what he had been wanting for so long. Now the object of his desires was so close, ripe and ready for the taking. And he was going to take.

"Let's make one thing clear," Oliver said, with a slight growl to his voice. "You're mine . . . and nobody will ever touch you again." Before Barry could respond, Oliver crushed his mouth on the brunette's.

Barry responded to kiss fervently, wrapping his arms around Oliver's back. Oliver lost himself in Barry's embrace, the kiss being far better than he ever imagined. He explored every inch of the younger man's mouth, devouring it and greedily taking as much as he could get. His thoughts were scattered, all he could focus on was the heavenly taste that was Barry Allen.

Breaking apart only when the need for air aroused, Oliver rested his forehead against Barry's. Both were breathing heavily. He couldn't meet Barry's eyes, too stunned at what he had done. Oliver was shocked with his own behavior. Usually, he was more composed than that; it was not like him to lose control.

He felt his head being lifted up and he was meeting Barry's emerald eyes, which were staring at him warmly and full of love.

"So I'm yours huh?" Barry said with a smile.

Oliver nodded, not trusting himself to speak and unsure if he even could.

"I think I could live with that," Barry stated grinning.

* * *

''What the hell is going on?''asked Freya said with a cold ,emotionless voice and Barry paled so violently that Oliver almost thought he would faint but Barry wanted to run away from the room as the everyone else were confused.

At that, the room froze. Barry had covered his face again, Cisco was standing frozen just inside the door, Caitlin and Laurel looked away from the angry woman as Oliver knew that it was the last day seening Barry because his aunt will kill him, Roy and Ray had stopped in the middle of singing another annoying star trek song, and Felicity had an iron grip on the refrigerator door handle.

Tommy, unsurprisingly, refused to react and kept reading his book.

''What are you doing here?'' Barry asked as he tried to conceal the fear of his voice because this is ridiculous . Barry has fought with a sharks, a gorilla .alliens ,with an immortal man ,with the man who killed his mother ,even with Caitlin Snow a woman who is like a sister for him but tried to kill him and he us afraid to face this woman but for his defense ,even his father and Joe are afraid of her.

* * *

**...Stay tuned**

**I hope you like this story**


	5. Chapter 5

''My aunt''Tommy shrugging ,ingoring Barry's glare at his possessive address to HIS AUNT. Barry was blinded by envy. Scorching hot envy. Jealousy had slithered into his veins like a venomous snake, filling his heart with poison. She knew the woman standing in front of her had a lot godsons and goddaughters like Stiles Stilinski ,Percy Jackson ,Sabrina Spellman ,Chuck Bass , Alison DiLaurentis ,Kate Knight but Freya Nova was the woman who sang him in the evening and read him fairy-tale.

''Well?''Freya greeted cordially.

FLASHBACK

_''Will you go out on a date with me?''Oliver asked after they broke the kiss._

_''Is this a joke or something along the lines of that''Barry said with caution._

_''No, I've been meaning to ask you for a long time, but I never got the chance to. Now I can and I am hoping you will say yes.''Oliver said._

_Barry thought about it for a quick second. Opening his eyes even more that they were before just staring at Oliver. Barry started noticed all the features on him. His muscles, his eyes, hu8s hair, his clothes that he could look godd , and just him in general._

_Barry thought about just for a second and had a answer._

_''If that's the case thatn my answeris ,yes''Barry said with axcitement._

_Oliver was happy and he was just about to ask Barry some thing whn he heard gunfire outside. Men came busting into Jitters wearing masks with hoods._

_Oliver recognized the masks from Deathstroke, but they agreed not to mess with each other Oliver qondered. They quickly shot at Barry with a arrow hitting him in his shoulder. Barry tried to run but couldn't even more. Oliver went for one of the smaller thugs, but one of them hit him for behind on the head. he then fell to the floor face first. When Oliver woke up Barru was gone and he woke up to Cisco shaking him._

_''Oliver where is Barry''Cisco quickly asked in such panic._

_''I don't know , and I'm freaking out when he might be''Oliver said with fright. ''I do know who might have taken him though._

_Oliver and team Flash had go back to S.T.A.R labs where they were looking at the security tootafe of the people who took Barry. They all started talking adter they saw Oliver get hit by the guy._

_''How can you take a hit like that''Caitlin askd with confusion._

_''I lived on an island for 5 years ,I think I know how to take a hit''The blond superhero answered with sarcasm._

_''Barry was hit by what looks like a spped dapener in syrun form''Caitlin said._

_Oliver told Cisco yo follow where they took Barry . The people went outside of Central City to an abandoned house. Oliver told Cisco and Caitlin to siut up and head out here. The three of them went to the house where Barry was being held hostage, until they heard a scream of Barry inside._

_A man of Prometheu crew yelled from inside saying.''Barry will die if you don't five up your self to Prometheu, hood''_

_''You guys stay here''Oliver said to Caitlin and Cisco guitely. He approached the house only to see Prometheu or Adrian Chase holding aknife to Barry's throat with his goons by his side._

_''Plase don't do this ,we can have a negotiation''Oliver said with questioning. He tried to stepping forward, but as soon as he did Adrian put the knife in Barry's until he heard a yell from the back saying._

_''Oliver move''Cisco yelled with concern. Cisco smae running in casting beach twords all of the goons but Chase was gone. Barry nocked himself over so he didn't get breached away._

_''All of them were banished to Earth-X where tehy belonged''Cisco said._

_'Barry let's go home''_

END FLASHBACK

''Okay let me see if I can get this straight," Freya bega.''Mr. Queen was going to asked tou for a date and that fucking Prometheu show up and blow it. You was kindapping by him and the green Arrow likes a knight in his silver armor saved you?''

Olivers eyes widened.

"You know?!"

"It's not exactly difficult to figure out, Barry. Just look at the timeline between Oliver Queen's return to the land of the living and the appearance of the vigilante. His sister wasn't that hard to figure out, nor Ms. Smoak or Mr. Diggle. But that's not important," she said, waving it off.

Barry nodded her head as Oliver smirked at her from his spot.

Freya chucnkles''I think we should talk''

Oliver groans and Barry moves off oliver to sit by him ,he grabs Oliver's hand and interlcoks their fingers. ''Don't be upset with Olie aunt''

''Oh I'm not upset at all nephew ,I just want to talk to you''Freya says.

Barry groans,'We alrealy had the sex talk aunt''

'I want you both to be careful''Freya said and looked at Oliver to show him that he has accepted his relationship with her nephew.

''Everyone out''said Freya at the same time she glared at the hood but when she turned to Barry, her features softened and said. 'My boy, you and your friends leave now I want to chat with your little boyfriend for one moment. Do not worry I will not bite him ,hard.''

Barry and everyone was not sure if tehy should leave their friends and boyfriend to the woman's nails but they knew they could not disobey the commands. And for that the hero and his friends ran out of the lab without looking back.

''I want to...''said Oliver trying to terrorize the woman standing in front of him but has no effect as the woman said. ''No offense ,but really don't care''

''Now, put our ass down and listen to me carefully because I do not like to repeat myself. I do not fear anyone and I do not care if you are a god because I will find a way to kill you, Barry has suffered many miseries in his life and when he lost his mother the things got worse. I have many adjectives over my name like : sarcastic ,bad news, cunning ,selfish ,vicious ,avaricious ,apathetic and many adjectives that make the people afraid and hate me but Barry is the only person who reminds me that I am human.''

"What makes you think you deserve him?"

"What?" He asked as politely as possible. Before Freya would repeat herself, a light, innocent laugh echoed across the room. Both of them looked in the direction it had came from, finding Barry laughing as Tommy made gestures with his hands, seemingly describing an explosion of some kind.

Still looking over, Freya asked once more, "What makes you think you deserve him?"

Oliver watched as Barry laughed, smiling at the pure sight. Barry looked up, obviously feeling eyes on him, and his eyes found Olivers. They held a silent conversation with their eyes, the younger man unknowing of the amount of love Oliver held for him.

If Oliver lost him, he couldn't imagine living.

When he first realised he was in love with Barry, it was in one of those moments. They had teamed up to fight a metahuman, and Barry had been hurt. Oliver had failed to protect him that night and he could still feel his own heart in this throat when Barry wouldn't respond.

The moment his eyes fluttered open, it was like Olivers' World became full of colour again. He had loved Laurel, Sara, and Felicity. But God, Barry was most certiantly his soulmate.

Ever since that day, Oliver had forever sworn to protect Barry in everyway possible, even if it meant losing himself.

''I don't know if I love him but all I know is he makes my sky brighter''

I know a few powerful people who will help me conceal a corpse and believe me I'll do everything for my little boy because Barry is the most precious thing I have in my life after me and my money and for that harm Barry in any way-emotional, mental, physical. And I'll cut your balls off! And they won't grow back. Believe me for this, I know of biology!" Freya pointed at Oliver, who went pale.

"Let's get this party started!"

About 45 minutes of music, champagne, cider and beer later, most of the crowd were drunk. Sara, Felicity and Caitlin were on the dancefloor of Saints and Sinners with Cisco whipping his hair around like a maniac. Ray was with Laurel, both slightly tipsy and more lighthearted than usual. The other team members were at the table playing a poker game, all screaming in celebration or defeat and clapping.

(Flarrow team is Felicity, Caitlin, Sara, Tommy ,Barry ,Oliver ,Thea, Laurel and Ray)

But Freya was sitting at the bar watched her godson with his boyfriend and his friend have a good time. She was happy for her little boy. Barry was the light in her darkness but this does not stop the nightmares.

_Freya stared unseeingly at the corpse of the man who became more than her brother in arms, the man who became her brother in all but blood. Freya didn't know how long she stared at him, it could have been minutes, it could have been days, but Freya didn't care. Freya wouldn't care if the damned enemy came for her right then, at this moment she would gladly welcome their torture, if only to rid herself of the pain of losing her brother._

_Unfortunately, soon enough the stench of burned flesh and shit registered in her nostrils and the sounds of the crackling fire were heard in her ears. Blinking away the sweat and tears from her eyes, Freya sniffled and furiously wiped away her tears and tore her eyes away from Richard. Clearing her dry throat, Freya slowly staggered to her feet, wincing in pain from her injuries and cursing the bastards that caused this in every language she knew of all the while. Once on her feet, Freya leaned against the wreckage of the truck and gazed at the destruction once again, unable to believe that this was once her team. Freya was still in a state of shock, but she promised them, Freya promised her boys that she would bring them all home one way or the other and by the fucking Gods she will!_

_Taking a deep breath, Freya gagged at the smell of burning flesh, hair and shit before deciding it was too much. Freya tore a piece of her pants off to work as a makeshift gag to protect her nose from the stench, before moving on to explore the wreckage for any survivors and supplies. In her gut, Freya knew that she was the only survivor, but she hoped and prayed with everything in her that she was wrong. Unfortunately, she was right. There were no survivors, everyone was dead and after seeing their bodies Freya to her shame was glad they were. Limbs were torn from bodies, so much so that if she didn't know her boys as well as she did she would be hard pressed to tell you whose arm or leg belonged to whom. Blood and innards littered the grounds, burning, impaled and crushed bodies, it was horrible._

_It was so surreal to see the men she fought with, bled with and laughed with reduced to this. Freya knew these men, she knew their wives and children, she attended their kid's games and recital, births and weddings. Freya was there for them when they needed to vent about their families and the war. Freya trained each and every single one of these men, everything they went through they went through together. _

_A rumbling sound brought her out of her grief, her senses being subconsciously on alert for the enemy while she grieved. Instantly alert, Freya ducked to hide behind the burning car and buried herself with the bodies of her comrades. Freya was bloodied and pale enough to blend in with her fellows to pass as a corpse and she knew this. Hearing the rumbling stop a klick away from her position, Freya quickly played opossum and not a moment too soon it appears._

_"Tuhaqiq min alnaajin!" A rough Arabic voice shouted, the voice sounded muffled, as if they wore a helmet or a bandana over their mouths. That prevented her from getting a clear reading of his voice, but she figures should this man escape she would be able to find him again if he is covering his mouth._

_The sounds of metal and debris shifting filled oppressing air as her enemies tossed her teams bodies around with such disrespect. Freya had to stifle a growl as she heard the enemy laughing and spitting at her team mate's bodies. It took everything Freya had to stay still and to not shoot the motherfuckers for what they did and what they were doing. But Freya knew she couldn't, she was too injured and outnumbered. Freya resolved to bide her time, find out what her enemy's plans were and how many of them were here before she could attack. But she swore once she was ready she was going to –_

_''Lenny''_

_Multiple gun shots went out as the Iraqi soldiers fired round after round at something. As Freya continued to play opossum, the gun shots were getting closer. While the gunshots were fired, Freya strained her ears to ear if there was returning gunfire of a potential ally or another enemy._

_''Lenny''_

With a jolt, realizing that she wasn't back there, that she wasn't on that damned war zone any longer, Freya began to relax slightly.

''Lenny''

Len grits his teeth. He absolutely fucking hates being called 'Lenny' and he has no idea, why his sister insists on doing it.

Len takes a large gulp from his beer. ''What?''

He has absolutely no idea why he said yes when Lisa simply showed up in front of his apartment, demanding he joins her at Saints and Sinners. He didn't want to. He was comfortable all by himself, watching a detective series on Netflix in his most comfortable shirt and sweats. He had been just about to get up and make himself a chai latte. Absolutely no problem. But she had said that he couldn't spend his Saturday evening on the couch like an old man and finally, she made him get dressed before driving to their bar of choice on their motorbikes. He now regrets having given her a key to his apartment.

''Your girlfriend is there''said his sister pointing at the lonely woman at the bar.

''She is not my girlfriend''

"No, of course not," says Lisa solemnly.

'She is sitting at the bar and looks gorgeous sunshine." Micks voice rang out.

"That's is Flash's aunt your talking about Mick." Leonard resorted, earning a small giggle off Lisa.

"You know you're the only one I have eyes for Lenny." Mick flirted, and Lisa rolled her eyes as she walked to the bar.

"Guys! I'd appreciate if you leave the flirting to when you're alone''

He doesn't wait for an answer and goes straight to the bar, needing something stronger than stale beer.

"Whiskey, neat," he says to the bartender and leans against the comforting wooden bar. He does get the concept of nicknames. That is what 'Len' is for. He also gets the endearment, that is also what 'Len' is for. He nods. Decides that he is right. Len sounds nice. Everyone who does not want to give him an endearing nickname can call him Snart. Or Leonard. Or Captain Cold. He finds that he is quite fond of the name Cisco Ramon gave him. Lisa is so enamored with him anyway, she could do them both a favor and just use the name her crush made up. It would be so much better than Lenny. He grits his teeth again. He stops. Tries to relax his jaw. Lisa is right. He does do that a lot.

"Len?"

He turns back around.

She looks at Len, her eyes sparkling.

Len snorts.

Very elegant, Leonard, very elegant.

"Did you hear what I just said?" he asks.

Len thinks about it.

"Did you want to ask something?"

Freya keeps looking at him while slowly moving forward toward Len.

''What about a drink do you want to come along, Lenny?"

Now Len heard it.

Snart's got years of experience in this arena, as an up-close spectator if not a combatant himself, and so he's certain that love is nothing but an ugly fraud. He'll settle for sex. "Could I have your number?"

Freya's eyes widen. "My number?"

"Your number."

Interest flashes across her face before hardening into determination, and Snart's heart leaps too high, too damn high for this woman she's only seen three times and never before remembered.

''Try_ har_der''She licks her top lip before she jumps her tiny ass on the bar, spins around to face Snart once again then jumps down and strolls right towards the door.

Before she leaves though, a drunk man grabs her ass causing Snart to growl for some damn reason.

Snart really didnt like seeing that fucker touch the beautiful goddess.

Before he can even make a move toward her, the woman grabs the guys hand and twists it behind his back before roughly turning him so that his side is to her front. "That wasn't very nice, asshole!" She laughs at the guy before gritting her teeth and applying more pressure to the mans now broken wrists, causing the him to bend over at the waist and cry out in pain. Freya turns to him and winks before lifting her knee into the guys face hard, then she shoves him to the floor.

The woman lets out a childish giggle as she skips out of the bar, leaving the Flarrow team stunned and Barry doubled over laughing. "Feisty isn't she? Have fun!" Barry grins then scurries off.

* * *

The next dat Barry got a phone call from Joe wanting to meet him at his house. After Freya left the house for her new job ,Barry headed in Joe's, still trying to figure out why he had been called in on his day off. He had been thinking about it ever since he had left the house and while Joe's voice had sounded casually… neutral, for some reason Barry had a bad feeling about the conversation he was about to have – Joe calling him out of blue like that basically screamed suspicious and Barry involuntarily tensed when he reached the door of West's house.

Since the door was slightly ajar, Barry didn't bother with knocking, stepping inside and finding Joe sitting behind the kitchen table and going through some papers. Hearing him come in, Joe looked up, his lips stretching in a small smile when his eyes fell on Barry. "Barry. I'm glad you could make it."

"Well, to be fair, it didn't seem like I had much of a choice."Barry said dryly, walking closer and taking a seat on the other side of the table. "What can I do for you?"

"Straight to the punch, I see." Hoe chuckled. "It's not work related, actually. I called you here because I'm worried about you, son." Joe said and Barry just blinked, and once the words had registered in his brain, he had to try really hard not to burst out laughing.

"Is that so?" He snorted. "And what exactly has you worried so much?"

"Well." Joe started, his voice growing colder. ''You live at under the same roof with Freya''

"Whichever it is, I assure you, it's none of your business." Barry raised his eyebrows.

"I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to change your mind about that." Joe shrugged. "But I figured that maybe showing you that you don't really know the woman you're live with would make you reconsider your life choices."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"Barry asked, his whole body tensing, protectiveness rushing through him as it always did whenever someone dared to say anything negative about his aunt F.

Reaching for a file lying on table, Joe tossed it in Barry's direction, gesturing at Barry to take it. Slowly, Barry reached for the file and opened it, revealing mission reports along with some photos and documents. After skimming through all of them, it had become apparent that all the reports had one thing in common – Freya was involved in all of them, either alone or with her former Alpha team.

"These are the mission reports and photo evidence from Nova's most… interesting assignments, both Alpha and CIA related. Venezuela in 2003. Cambodia in 2005. Morocco in 2006, and many, many more." Joe said, answering the question Barry was about to ask. "Had he ever told you about these?"

"No, she hadn't." Barry replied slowly, his voice steady as he held Joe's gaze. "I was under the impression this is all classified."

"Your clearance is high enough." Joe said instantly, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile that filled Barry with uneasiness. "Which means he easily could have told you all of that. But she never did."

"What exactly is your point?" Barry asked, getting more fed up with the conversation with every passing second.

"My point is, Barr, that you're so blinded by your… feelings that you don't see the truth right in front of you." Joe said, disdain lacing his voice. "And the truth is that there is no way Freya cares about you"

Breathing in through his nose, Barry clenched his fists tightly, and while he was trying to calm himself down enough not to murder his father on spot, Joe must have taken his silence as a sign to continue. "You're such a good person and Freya is just going to drag you down with him. It's not worth it."

"Are you implying that my aunt is anything but a good person?" Barry asked, his voice laced with a barely contained fury.

"Don't be irrational, Barry." Joe rolled his eyes as if he hadn't noticed Barry was basically shaking in rage. "Look at the reports, look at what he had done. Freya is a cold-blooded killing machine, ruthless and unbridled, and he's just-"

"Shut up." Barry gritted through his teeth, quietly, cutting Joe off. "How dare you reduce her to a killing machine? How dare you assume that's all she is?"

"Isn't she though?" Joe shrugged, making Barry's blood boil.

"She's so much more than that." Barry said quietly, struggling to keep his emotions in check. "And you don't know her at all."

"I've known her for 25 years and I know everything she had done, Barry, it's all in his file-"

"Exactly." Barry interrupted his father again. "All you know is her file. You don't know aunt F. You don't know what kind of person she is." His hands hurting from being clenched tightly, Barry took a deep breath, trying to prevent himself from losing his temper. "People are not just good or bad, life is so much more complicated than that. We've all done things more or less questionable and you have no right to say that the choices Freya had made, the things she had been ordered to do, make her a bad person." Barry looked at Joe coldly. "She was there when my mother died. She was with me the first day I went to school. She was with me and held my hand at my mother's funeral. Every nightmare , every tear ,every laugh , every happy moment it is in my mind because of her. Nothing you could tell me, nothing Freya could ever do would change how I feel about him." Closing the file, Barry tossed it back on the table and stood up. "And I think we're done here."

"Barry, wait." Joe called out when Barry turned to leave and even though he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, Barry glanced back at his father. "Don't you understand? Freya is brutal. Dangerous." Joe said, putting on a worried expression on his face, but Barry could see in his eyes that it was just for show – Joe's eyes were cold and calculating, and Barry knew that whatever he was going to say next, would be his final blow. "Aren't you scared that one day she's just going to snap and hurt you? Or maybe even worse?"

During their entire conversation, Barry had managed to keep his emotions in check, keeping the rage and fury inside of him and stopping himself from doing something impulsive and reckless.

But in that moment, with these last few words, Joe had crossed the line.

And Barry saw red.

And he lost all the control.

* * *

''Are you nuts?''Asked Barry as stands in front of the stove and makes tea for his aunt who was sitting in one of the chairs. 'About Joe?''

It's been a week since the boy moves along with his aunt and and the emotion was great. Every morning his aunt made a breakfast of wafers, cereals, milk, juice and coffee. Their morning was filled with discussions about science, something that Barry could not discuss with Joe or Iris because they found boring but for Freya was fantastic. She didn't really care all that much about science, but arguing with Barry was becoming one of her favourite hobbies.

''Fury's out' 'the woman said as she took the cup of tea and walked to the living room ignoring Joe's words in her mind.

_''Cold-blooded"_

_ "killing machine"_

_ "ruthless and unbridled" _

She has heard the detective as she went to his house with worries about her boy and she went mad but It was all true and there was no way to deny that Freya really was all of these things – he had just hoped that maybe Barry would never realize how truly despicable Freya actually was.

'Aunt F please dont kill him because I dont wnt to see you in jail and Iris without a father' 'said Barry trying to show his point to the woman to see it seriously but by her gaze did not make a good effort

''So glad I don't give a damn''the woman said sarcastically as she wrapped her blanket around herself to protect herself from the cold.

The brunette sighed and threw a pillow on the floor saying indignantly ''You can stop being sarcastically for one time in your life and talk seriously''

Freya winces because Barry screaming is a rare occurrence but this did not stop her from making a sarcastic commenty ''I'm not always sarcastic, sometimes I'm sleeping and this will do now''

The woman kissed his cheek and walked to her room as she was tired of everything and wanted to drive her anger over her after that game who took place at the bar and she had to prevent herself from killing Snart. But if Freya going to jail ,Barry will fing himself with Joe and Iris her Barry was something new for her, he was a ray of sunshine and happiness which had helped her come out of the darkness.

_A six year old girl thrown over the floor like a rag doll with an old man standing over her with a belt in his hand when we took the girl with hatred. The man brought his face close to the girl and the little girl could smell the alcohol, the girl scratches the man's face with her nails and runs away trying to escape him running in the big manor but the man though he was drunk was faster than the girl and grabbed her hand pushing on a wall by her neck._

_''You think you can escape my little girl? 'Asked the man putting his slimy hand on the soft skin of the girl._

_''Help' 'yelled the girl but nobody could be heard and the man slapped the girl._

_''Shut up' 'he said and tears was coming from her green eyes._

_The girl continued to cry for help with no effect and the man looked at the little girl with disgust_

_''Look at you, yelling for help. Always yelling for help. It's pathetic, Freya''_

Freya jolted awake with a scream. The sheet under her back was wet with sweat, and when he tried to wipe off the cold beads of moisture on her forehead, her hand trembled. With great effort, she propped herself up into a seating position and leaned back against the headboard. Her whole frame was still shaking and her breathing was erratic. She thought about the pills in the drawer of the bedside table, but decided against it, opted for a meditation technique instead. Before she could successfully get her heartbeat under control, however, a knock on her door interrupted her.

"Aunt F,"Barry called warily from the other side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, boy." Her voice quivered in spite of her effort to steady it. Not that she needed to hide anything from Barry, theb oy was all too familiar with her sleeping problems.

"Would you like me to fix you a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you," she quickly answered. "Go ahead back to sleep."

Once she was sure that Barry had returned to his room, the woman finished her meditation and then made his way down to the garden. She was definitely not getting any more sleep for the rest of the night, so he figured she might as well do something productive, and a workout session that let her punch away her fears certainly could not hurt.

The nightmare never ceased. She had many, of course, had always lived with nightmares tainting her sleep. This one just happened to stand out given how fresh the underlying memory which prompted it still was. Even after the death of her father, it still came to him every other night.

It always started the same way.

The voices, the blood, a child's voice that begs for mercy, the sound from the leather belt that touches harshly on the skin and the smell of alcohol. The big corridors of the old house with scratched walls and the old music hall which finds a piano at the end of the tour, the scars she gained from her hard years of childhood trying to hide them with magic.

'_'Mirrors don't lie and lucky for me they don't laug_h'' she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror but she could hear the voices inside her head, Freya caught her head with her hands and fell to the floor.

_''Monster''_

_''Selfish''_

_''Freak''_

_''Liar''_

_''Murderer''_

''Aaaaaahhhh''The woman yell and she hit the mirror with her fist breaking into a thousand pieces that fall to the floor with her own blood.


	6. Chapter 6

When Malcolm Merlyn returned to Starling City after training with the League of Assassins, he was different. Or at the very least he'd planned to be. Over the course of 4 years he came to realize that his own son would never understand the choices he would have to make. That they would likely always be estranged. After all Tommy Merlyn was his mother's child at heart.

There was one day in particular when Malcolm realized this. Small, seemingly insignificant. It was a rare night. A memory forever scented with licorice and alcohol snagged from the Queen wine cellar. 14-year-old Tommy had only one request for his birthday. To this day Malcolm still can't quit recall what it was. Instead he remembers the silent backseat of a car. The way the rain dripped down the window his son lent his head against. The reflection of drop after drop rolling down Tommy's face, similar to the words of admonishment that gradually decreased their fall from Malcolm's lips. If Malcolm had to pinpoint a moment when he realized the chasm between his son and himself had become too great to cross. He'd paint a picture of his son ascending the stairs of the Merlyn mansion while he watched until he disappeared into the dim hallway. He'd see himself in his office that night a glass in his hand and the beginnings of his plans for the Glades in front of him.

20 years and 17 days after that night, After Rebecca's death Malcolm had all of his things moved into a room on the opposite wing from the one he'd shared with his wife. He left her things there along with a box containing paperwork to become foster parents. They'd be far outdated and mostly unusable but an idea was forming. And when Malcolm Merlyn had a plan, he always followed through, by any means necessary.

He loved his wife but it was not the love he held for Freya Nova.

With Rebecca, it had been quick, immediate. He latched on to her immediately. She was beautiful, sure, glorious in all her perfection. But he preferred the puzzle. He latched on to her because she was smart and funny in a way that cut into him. Idly, he thinks he liked her because she was mean in all her sharp wit. He liked that she could outsmart him, outthink him, if she only wanted to. He liked her cruelty in all it's harshness. But, more than that, he liked what he suspected, what he knew, lay beneath it.

He was never really good at distinguishing friendship from love. Deep platonic affection from raw want and need. They seemed to meld into one another until it was just a massive ball of energy and awe. So, in the end, it wasn't that surprising that he thought he was in love with her. It wasn't that surprising that he mistook fascination and odd connection and attraction for love. It wasn't that surprising. In the end.

He was married to her because she was pregnant but never regretted the acquittal of his son.

With Freya, though, it was different. It was slow and agonizing and all consuming. He thought it would be easier this time, but his heart feels perpetually broken and he doesn't know how to fix it, how to change it. And he doesn't even know if he wants to. He does, he does.

Freya was charming, her sarcasm buried beneath silk and irony. She was strong, and smart, and kind, underneath all of it. She is a pillar that Malcolm wants to cling to. She is a warmth that he wants to drown in.

FLASHBACK

_Malcolm Merlyn was standing by his locker, when she walked in. She being Freya Nova, one of the most popular girls in Central City High. What Malcolm thought was amazing was that Freya didn't act like she was popular. She hung out with almost everyone. Malcolm had a huge crush on her. He let out a dreamy yet sad sigh just as his friend Henry Allen approached him._

_"Why don't you just ask her out already?" Henry asked._

_''Because my parents want a proper girl like Rebecca and not a troublemake like Freya"Malcolm said with a slight groan, as Henry laughed. Malcolm turned to look at his friend._

_"What the hell is so funny?" Malcolm asked with a growl._

_"Oh nothing. Just that I am 100 percent that you're never listen to your parents and the most crucial moment you decide to become a good man. Everyone in the school was aware of Malcolm Merlyn's Chrysler-Builidng-sized crush on Freya Nova''Henry said, while Malcolm's eyes went wide. Malcolm's mouth was hanging open as he stared at his friend._

_"How do you know that?" He asked as he regained his composer, well most of it at least._

_''I'm not 's a way you look at her everytime you find yourelves together that I cant's never understand but I think I get it now ,it's love and have you forgotten that I share half my classes with Freya." Henry said with a smirk. "Now go ask her out!" Henry said as he pushed Malcolm towards Freya._

_"Henry! Don't! man!" Malcolm growled to his friend, but it was to late Malcolm was now in front of the girl._

_''"Hey Mal!" Freya said with a grin._

_"Freya Hey!" He said nervously. "Uh Freya, can I ask you something?"_

_"Of course you can." She said._

_"Do you...uh...do you want to go out with me?" He said nervously. She smiled._

_"I would love to, Mal." She said while grabbing Malcolm's hand. She then grabbed a pen and wrote her number on his hand. "Call me." She then walked away to her next class. He let out a love sick sigh. But then she made him walked with her so she could talk to him. And he followed like a love struck puppy._

END FLASHBACK

Freya is a kick to his gut.

But after the death of his wife and Freya ahd been in Iraq and Aganistan for 5 years something happend to her.

She became cold with everyone ,even him but never with Tommy. The boy worshiped the older woman as if she was a godness and with the absence of his wife they have gained a closer relationship. She acted like in a motherly way towards him. More times than not, the boy would barged into her room without a knock or hello and would sat down on her bed or at her desk and did his homework, asking her to explained a few things for him every now and again.

The man walked into his office when suddenly he saw his friend.

Freya sat in one of the chair of his office and only her she could look like a queen in such a chair. She was sitting and has her leg-crossing like Sharon Stone's famous scene in Basic Instinct. Malcolm's heart began to beat fiercely in his chest as he stood before his heart's desire—afraid to admit his feelings to the beautiful soldier .

He didn't fear rejection (well actually, he did fear that), but the loss of Freya' friendship and respect; he never wanted to be without those special gifts. He would rather continue on, bearing his true feelings in silence forever than to lose her in so cruel a manner. But he had crossed a point of no return; if Freya asked him who this someone was, he would answer her truthfully for he could never lie to her.

''I was planning on adopting Barry''

She told Malcolm, he was surprised but wanted her to continue. ''He's witnessed things that he shouldn't have. I'm also sorry to say this but I've noticed that Barry needs a female figure in his life and something else that a bashing cop and bicth for a sister and Oliver will help him. 'The woman explained. Malcolm nodded. He knew she was right.

''Tomorrow night Barry ,Oliver and Tommy with his girlfriend will have dinner here and I want you with us''said Malcolm before Freay walked away from him.

* * *

If there was one thing that Freya was good at, it was fighting.

She was a Captain . She craved bloodlust and the thrill of battle like air. It was her crack, far better than sex with men.

_''Fall in love ,have kids ,get marry''_

_Love_

Freya doesn't know how to love, never did. She can't express how it feels when her chest flutters and her heart aches for someone, can't tell them how much she truly appreciates what they do and how they do it. She doesn't know how to say those three words that are so important, so life changing, and yet stuck on her tongue like they're gum under a shoe. The last time they were uttered on dying lips with a gasping breath, accompanied by an orchestra of beeping machines and wrecking sobs. The last time she'd seen the only parent who ever loved her.

She wanted to love, but her skin smelt like war and her muscles ached from fighting and running.

She always found ways around saying it, even to Barry. He'd be off to school with a quiet, "love you, aunt F" and she'd give a soft kiss on his head and say back, "be safe, Barry." And she was never in a relationship long enough for those words to become a factor until Malcolm.

It wasn't some great explanation, no sudden reveal or sweet admittance. Before Rebecca , it was Freya fooling around in the kitchen in Merlyn's Mansion and Malcolm growling at her, swatting his hands with a spoon all the while saying, "Look, I love you a fucking lot, but get the hell out of my kitchen."

Freya had been too shocked and did just that, but Malcolm hadn't brought it up and even years later rarely said those words. They didn't need too, they knew.

She always had a thing for strong men. They weren't afraid to stand up to her, goad her on to a fight that could satisfy that primal part of her. That was her darker part, his inner demon and monster that came only on pain and anger.

The problem was that most men could never keep her attention for long.

A miniature devil version of herself appeared on her shoulder.

'_What about Malcolm?_,' mini-devil self swooned.

A miniature angelic version of herself popped into existence and hit mini-devil self on the head with a fan.

_'Don't cross the line. He's Rebecca's husband. And your friend!_' Mini-Freya screamed.

Freya cleared her throat, inwardly wincing and banishing Mini-Angel Freya and Mini-Devil Freya off of her shoulder,

Freya Nova and Rebecca Black had taken an instantaneous dislike to one another. Rebecca was uswd to people liking her immediately. She had always been the popular girl, and around the precinct she was treated like a princess since her father was a CEO. Freya thought Rebecca was nosy ,demanding and a total diva.

Freya may not be a soldier anymore, but she hadn't lost the training, or her instincts, it was the third time he saw the man. The first time, Freya spotted him watching across the street from the Jitters. Then there was the night Freya left in a huff after finding out about Joe being an homophobe asshole

''It's impolite to stare." She stated with a tease in her voice.

* * *

One thing Leonard Snart loved, besides his sister and an elaborate heist, was a mystery. The opportunity to put together the clues and reach the correct answer before everyone else would put a sparkle in his icy eyes faster than almost anything else. He also had a driving need to know everything about everyone in his life. He hated surprises (unless he planned them). He hated secrets (unless they were his). Mick had given up, a long time ago, trying to make sense of Len's weird bouts of obsession. That's why, when Len suddenly began dragging him around town to stalk Freya Nova, he didn't ask questions. He just drove where Len told him to, and read a book between trips.

"A law firm?" Len mumbled, interrupting his reading. "Why is woman meeting someone at a law firm?"

Mick glanced up and looked across the street. Sure enough, the woman was standing near the door, speaking to an elderly man. They were looking at something in the kid's hand and there was a lot of nodding and hand waving going on.

"You're bordering on obsessed," Mick grumbled.

"She's breaking pattern," Len said with a frown, lifting his binoculars to his eyes again. "I want to know why."

Mick rolled his eyes and went back to his book. Sometimes he thought going straight was too much strain on Len's patience. In truth, Len was just pouting because he had no idea what Freay Nova is.

Snart really liked this one. She was strong and had spirit, that much he gathered instantly. Not many women could stare him down with such defiance; This lady was driving him crazy but Snaer could not called it love. Leonard Snart doesn't believe in love either. The first he heard of the concept was in his storybooks. But he read them to drown out the sound of shattering glass and his mother's cries. And then he thought that maybe he could have believed in love when Lila first walked into his 11th grade classroom with her long cocoa colored waves and that smile that made his chest tighten and his breath catch in his throat.

But then she had invited him to a party, and drank too much rum and spent the whole night sitting in Kol's lap, palming him through his jeans, and Snart had to make up an excuse to leave so no one could see the tears welling in his eyes.

He thought maybe he had been lying to himself, that the reason he had so much trouble with love was because he was in denial about his own attraction, and he was twenty-four when Nathan burst into his life with dimples and bright green eyes and poetry and grandiose declarations. It seemed like a fairytale he had been too afraid to believe in. But then three years later he got that phone call, the one recommending that he be tested for HIV, because a partner of his had been diagnosed. And Snart had only ever been with one person before, and that person had sworn to him, up and down that Snart had been his one and only too.

After that he thought maybe love did exist, but just not for him.

'Leonard Snart," the woman breathed, pushing him against the wall and cuffing his hands behind his back, "you are under arrest."

Snart laughed lightly and tilted his head back to look at her as best as he could. "You know, woman, I was always hoping that we could play cop and prisoner, but I have to admit, this wasn't how I envisioned it."

Freya rolled her eyes to mask how much he was actually affected by those words.

"I think you and I are gonna get along great," Snart smirked.

"I doubt it, considering how you treated my boy," Freya said coolly and Snart winced.

"I'm a thief but I made a deal with him that I will not kill no one or hurt someone. Even him," Snart promised.

"Hurt him again and know that if you lay a finger of him ,I will find you , and I will skinnnn you alive," Freya smirked and Snart felt a shiver go down his spine.

Freya pulls back to look into his eyes, and Snart's heart skips a beat. Something presses against his heart, against his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. For a moment, they're both just standing there, taking each other in, not really sure what to say.

"Don't do that." Freya says, and sits up out of her grasp.

"Do what?" Snart asks gently.

"Look at me like that, like you're thinking about kissing me."

A hard smile pulls at his lips. "I'm that obvious?

''You wanna steal a kiss from me ,Lenny?' Freya grabbed hus wrist, shoved him back instead of forward as he expected, rotated on her left foot dragging his across her hip and onto the floor. He was cuffed before he could roll over, he kicked out and she caught his foot flipping his back to his belly then using her foot to keep his in place.

''You better be one hell of a thief''

"Uh oh Snart. I think you just found your match." Mick said.

"Shit, I think I just fell in love." He said with a full-blown smile on my face. He would has Freya Nova if it is the last thing he does.

* * *

**Malcolm or Snart?**


	7. Chapter 7

Caitlin stands in front of the mirror in her room and complains about her dress Tommy was finishing getting ready, he had tried to tell her this wasn't a fancy dinner. That it was casual, and that she should dress comfortably. He didn't understand why she wanted to dress as nice as she could, but it was because she wanted to feel like Caitlin stood a chance against someone as beautiful as Freya.

She picked out her favorite pair of high rise jeans, and a silk tank top to go with it. She grabbed her black wedge sandals, and a few pieces of jewelry. This is what happens when you don't have the luxury of living in New York, but at least it makes her feel better about herself. It wasn't that she was insecure, but that she wanted to feel like her equal in a sense. Rationally Caitlin knew she had no reason to feel that way, her and Caitlin weren't too far apart in age.

"Tommy, are you ready to go?"

Caitlin hears him chuckle from downstairs, and as she walks down the stairs she feels embarrassed. She didn't know how long he has been waiting for her, and she just stood upstairs with her head in the clouds.

Then again, it could be from her heavy drinking days. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting. I got lost in my head thinking . Let's go before, I make us late for this dinner."

"Your fine Cait, I'm sure Freya will understand if we are. It's not like we live that far from them, we live in a small town we will be fine." Logically Caitlin knew he was right, but lord was she still nervous about making a good impression.

They are immediately in front of the Merlyn's Mansion, and Caitlin excited to see the inside. Tommy opens Caitlin's door for her, and they walk up to the door together. Tommy rings the doorbell, and the wait for someone to open the door. A woman with black skin and brown hair is the one who answers.

She escorted us into the house, leading them into the living room where everyone was. Tommy began to introduce everyone, so we knew whom was who. "Caitlin, I would like you to meet my father Malcolm Merlyn and of course you know Barry and Oliver. . Freya is in the kitchen. Father this is Dr. Caitlin Snow my girlfriend."

"It's very nice to meet you , '' Caitlin told him honestly, wants the father of Tommy to love her.

Malcolm looked at the young doctor before went after Freya leaving the four teennagers alone. Three seconds later, and Caitlin was passed out in the loveseat with her head in Tommy's lap, and he was asleep too, her hand in his hair. Oliver and Barry were cuddled up on the couch waiting fro the food.

''Mick told me that Snart has a crush on your aunt Barry''Caitlin said from nowhere.

''What?''yelled Barry and fell from the couch on the floor as Oliver rellled his eyes at Barry reaction but he had to agree that it was strange.

''How do I put this ,Barry ? Snart wants to bone your aunt''said Caitlin

''What? .Snart is not interested in my aunt''said Barry.

''You had to see him when he met her for first time''said Caitlin and laughed with disgusted looking out of Barry and Tommy.

''Mick called you on your phone number because he's got a huge crush on you!" – Barry said in one breath.

"Holy– Mick Rory?" – Oliver asked incredulously.

''WHAT?!''

Caitlin tensed at the sound of Tommy's voice, which sounded angered and jealous.

Soon they watch as Malcolm walks into the room, and he announces that dinner is ready and to follow him into the dining room. Caitlinhaven't seen Freya yet, but she assume that she's in the kitchen finishing everything that needs to be done. Everyone slowly follows Malcolm to the dining room, and Caitlin has to say it looks magnificent. Oliver and Barry sit next to each other, while Malcolm takes a seat next to Tommy and Caitlin is on the other side of her. Before Barry grabs a seat, he looks at Malcolm. "Am I allowed in the kitchen to help bring the food out now, or am I still banned?"

"What did you do to get kicked out of the kitchen kid?" Tommy asked chuckling, but he had a look of surprise on his face. Barry shamefully hung his head, while Oliver just laughed bent over by the waist. Soon everyone had joined oliver in laughing as Barry, explained that he had ruined the salad and was forced to go out and buy more ingredients and was not allowed back in the kitchen until Freya said otherwise. After everyone quieted down, they all heard Freya calling for Barry and Tommy.

Barry smiled brightly, knowing she was allowed back in the kitchen. Oliver had been sent out of the kitchen with the salad, and you heard a few snickers around the table. Next Barry had come out with a tray full of soup bowls, placing one in front of each person. Freya came carrying a huge platter of pasta, and set it in the middle of the table.

"Welcome, I'm sorry I didn't get to say hello to everyone when they arrived. Thank you for coming to the first of hopefully many more Family Dinners, now tonight I have decided to stick to a seafood theme. Everything but the salad has seafood in it, you have a regular Caesar Salad with freshly made dressing. To accompany it, you have a Lobster Bisque. For the main course we have Linguine with a white Clam Sauce, please enjoy."

"Oh God Aunt F, I've never had freshly made Caesar dressing before; and I have to say it tastes amazing." barry said in between bites of his salad, and everyone around the table even Caitlin hummed in agreement of her statement.

Caitlin was super surprised to see Tommy eating the salad, without someone forcing him too.

Caitlin knows she would, dear lord we are only on the salad course and she wants offer Freya her soul to eat anything else she can make. She thanked Tommy for the compliment, and they all went back to eating out salads.

Once they are all done, Freya runs of the kitchen leaving Tommy and Barry to clean off the table. Just looking at Freya you know, she's wearing almost nine thousand dollars' worth of clothing and jewelry.

Once the table is cleared of food, the three of them walk back out of the kitchen with dessert. The placed a Crème Brule in front of each of them, and Caitlin's mouth watered. It just melted in her mouth, and as wrong as it sounds Caitlin pretty sure it gave her an orgasm.

Caitlin not all too sure, she was quiet about it either. Thankfully, the whole room was lost in the taste of the dessert. She was going to end up fat, she can see it now.

Caitlin wasn't ready for the sight of the dinner with Tommy;s family. After dinner end, and everyone was given a drink, and Caitlin felt stiff in a way she hadn't for years. Like bricks were under each of her limbs and someone was jerking her around using planks of wood.

Freya looked at the womq who stole the heart of his godson "Oh you're Dr. Snow. You're dating my godson. That's right, I remember him telling me all about you and how his eyes lit up every time he talks about you. I can tell he's very happy with you." Freya said with a smile causing Tommy and Caitlin to blush. Barry laughed at that as did Oliver.

"Oh you can't pry them two off even with a crowbar and it's quite amusing watching our heir of the Merlyn Global Group try."

So it's a love at first sight."

Caitlin giggled. "No, not at all, we became very good friends and stayed being friends for one year until one day he declared his true feelings." She blushed. "Needless to say I was looking forward to that day." She muttered.

"I have to wonder how my son caught your attention."

Her head darts back up in surprise to see a certain light in Tomny`s father eyes as he regards her only for his gaze to shift to her boyfriend instead.

"Dad"Tommy said his hand coming to rest on her shoulder, and he's a little worried now this is about to turn into a standoff with how guarded man looks, practically radiating waves of protection. "Since Caitlin had the day off Flash`duty doctoe I thought it'd be nice for you two to get to know each other."

"Yes, Tommy, and it was so good of you to finally reach that conclusion. " He turns back to her and reaches seamlessly for her elbow, guiding her to eat.

Now I don't blame you, dear. I realize certain…parties my son associated with tend to cultivate a reputation for me."

"Uh, well, I haven't really been paying attention to any of that sort of talk, " Caitlin hopes it's the right thing to say even if it's not exactly true. And Tommy's always had only the best to say about you. He really cares."

After the dinner , Freya told them to grab whatever drink they would like, while she grabbed a two glasses of bourbon. Barry and Caitlin both grabbed a cup of coffee, while Oliver and atommy grabbed some bourbon for theirselves. As we all sat down, the guys had come out of the kitchen and grabbed a drink. Except for Malcolm, who automatically went to sit next to Freya. Caitlin watched as Freya leaned into Malcolm, once he was seated and wrapped him arm around her shoulder.

"Mr. Merlyn-.."

" It is Malcolm, Caitlin. After all, I can already see Tommy considers you part of the family."

Her eyes widen as her face flushes red at the pronouncement and he darts another shy look, again, at Tommy. " Dad , aunt F," the older man says, and he thinks it's the closest thing he's heard to a whine coming from him. "Don't you have embarrassing stories to tell or something?"

"If you insist, honey." Barry and Oliver has to choke back their laugh at the pained expression Tommy makes at that.

The afternoon isn't all quips at her boyfriend expense, or even her own after Barry and Oliver left. Malcolm has some questions, of course, about her life in Central, her job - both of them - and her family.

At some point the Malcolm photo albums are taken out, a must for any meet-the-parents session it seems, and he'll admit to cooing with the woman over pictures of a younger Tommy, some with Freya, some with a boy he's told is Oliver Queen. Tomny migrates to stand behind the couch, leaning over to look and supposedly provide more "accurate" commentary to his father's stories. One of his hands rests on his shoulder and the other on Caitlin's, and he brings her own hand up to rest atop it, occasionally tilting her head back to catch the woman's eye with a wide smile.

Eventually, though, they have to wrap things up. Caitlin wants to swing by the Star Labs to check on things with the team, and Tommy's got to run a firm. She stands with Malcolm in the foyer while Tommy goes to get their jackets.

"Thank you for everything, Malcolm. I really…it means a lot to me to be accepted by Tommy's family."

"And why wouldn't we? Seeing what you've done to him, it's me who should be thanking you. I'm proud of the man Tommy's become, but he was always so lost. After the death of his mother was a mess and like lost something." His face darkens for a moment with old grief, and she shares it. But his eyes flit back to her and his expression warms as he states, "I think he's found that again with you."

Caitlin's mouth falls open, but no words emerge. She's stunned, and doubly so when he wraps her in a hug and murmurs, "Thank you," in her ear. It's all she can do to embrace him back.

She turned around and faced Freya Nova, who stood there without a smile or any other facial expressions. Caitlin looked at the older woman with surprise mixed curiosity, not knowing the reason behind her interruption.

"Take care of him well." Freya said in a cold, dry voice. "He suffered a lot and the death of his mother almost killed him; he didn't have a happy childhoo" She sighed with guilt. "Just take care of him well, make him happy and don't ever let him suffer again... Promise me, promise me girl that you are going to take a good care of him and make him happy." Freya pleaded.

Caitlin looked at her with a shocked. The cold aunt of his boyfrienf was begging her to look after him well. She blinked a couple of times before opening her mouth. "I promise to take care of him well, I'll never going to make him unhappy or never let him suffer again, because...because I love him." She muttered and walked away from the remorseful woman.

They walk to the car, an arm each around the other's waist, neither aware of the woman who watches behind a curtain from the house.

Freya , who watches with a smile.

* * *

"What's with him?" Lisa questioned Mick.

"Nothing, or so he says" Mick snorted.

"I can hear you two idiots, you know" Snart snarked.

"Your ears are working, congratulations" Mick snapped back.

"Boys, boys. Now, brother, tell me" she flipped her long locks over her slim shoulder "What seems to be the trouble?" –

"There's nothing wrong" Snart said grumpily.

"This is not about the good soldier again, is it?" Mick asked lightly, and promptly got a cold gun to the face.

"You seriously bought this bar just to see this woman?" Lisa yelled, exasperated, "You're such an idiot."

"Remember what I said about undermining my authority?" Len warned.

"What the fuck is wrong with you," Lisa said to the ceiling.

"For the record, I was already considering buying a bar since the woman showed up to Saints in full costume," Len said, "and nothing keeps people happier than free drinks, and people like these Rogues need to feel happy."

"But the only reason it is this specific bar is because that specific brunette come here?" Lisa asked.

Then, initial rage apparently dealt with, Lisa stepped beside Len and leaned on the same shelves beside him. Looking ahead, and not at him, which Len did appreciate. She hooked her arm in Len's, holding him next to her, and rested her cheek on Len's shoulder. It was her attempt to be 'cute' so that Len would do what she wanted... which Len consistently fell for.

"Len, you realize this was a bad plan? You can't flirt with your nemesis' aunt," Lisa told him.

Len pressed the glass in his hand to his forehead.

"You are the smartest idiot in the world," Lisa said, full of affection. "I will fix this for you."

"Don't meddle," Len said.

"I will meddle," Lisa promised, "because your beautiful mind shuts off like a switch when it comes to romance and I'm really bored with being the only sibling with a date for family dinners."

"I've brought Mick," Len grumbled.

"Mick doesn't count and you know it."

"I guess," Len frowned at the glass above his head, "there's nothing I can really stay to stop you."

"I always do what I want, Lenny," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet, "and what I want is what is best for you. No promises on the aunt-"

Len grimaced.

"-but," she continued, "Thanksgiving was a bore. I'll get you a date by Christmas."

Len really wished he wasn't actually grateful for her help. He just grunted in reply.

Lisa grabbed the white Russian out of his hands. "No more alcohol until 8, you gruff old drunk," she cooed.

"You are not going to control my drinking," Len insisted.

"Do you think you'll seduce the sexy young bartender by being a drunk mess? Trust me," she said, planting a kiss on Len's cheek. "Also trust me on the wallpaper, because I have a theme going to match the napkins."

It was annoying how predictable and easy he was when Lisa was involved.

"Flash's aunt ?"Lisa questioned incredulously "Really? She's pretty enough, I guess, but she's... I don't know"

"Cool as a cucumber?' Mick added.

"Look who's talking"''Snart grumbled.''Like you dont have a crush on cold doctor..."

Mick blinked a couple of times. "Um, what?"

"Ooh, he's serious about her! What's her name again? Kate?"

"Caitlin"Mick corrected all too quickly. Snart couldn't hide a snort, and Lisa sighed playfully.

"Aw, you like her!"

"Lisa..."

* * *

_Freya furrowed her eyebrows as she tilted her head. She tore her shirt off and pulled him in for a kiss, something she didn't want him to forget either. Eventually he couldn't hold back any longer, and she got that. Their tongue's battled for dominance, knowing they both loved a challenge he won. She could feel his hands roaming her body, just like they were in her dream. The two pulled away gasping for air, Freya's breathing became irregular but that didn't mean she was going to stop anytime soon. She was frustrated and all she could think about was him. The blonde haired vampire pulled him over to the bed as she continued to kiss him. She didn't really care for anything he had to say, anything he would say to make her change her mind, because it was already made. Another thing, she was in no mood for foreplay, but he was obviously going to torture her; like there wasn't enough frustration to begin with. She found herself staring up at the one she used to despise so much, and there he was just looking at her like she was something special. She swallowed hard, feeling her nervousness rise._

_"Malcolm...» she mumbled under her breath, without breaking the eye contact._

_"Are you sure, Freya?" was all he said, causing Freya to bite her lower lip lightly. And with the nod she gave, he took it as a yes._

_Freya felt a though her bra was annoyingly getting in the way. In fact, her underwear served as the same problem as well. She reached down to pull her underwear off when her hands were stopped by his, pinning them above her head. She gasped at this, wondering why he was torturing her. She noticed the smirk on his face and the fact he was going on with this made her even more turned on; Nothing Malcolm ever did was enough, and she was sure it would be happening tonight. She would realize it for the very first time._

_As he kissed her neck, making sure not to miss any parts of her skin, it was evident he was taking his time. Freya bit on her lip from her terrible habit, closing her eyes to feel more- and she wanted more. Her breathing had become uneven, and she had the worst desire to just touch him but her hands were pinned; and she didn't know why she found that more attractive. If she thought the kissing was hot, where he was going she already knew. Her body moved under his touch, and he knew just the reaction of him taking his time would go for her- she was impatient._

_"Oh my god Leonard, please...» she whimpered almost, not even ashamed that she was begging._

Freya opened her eyes abruptly, a sob caught in her throat, which she made efforts to repress. She found herself concentrating on the ceiling, tears she refused to let fall in her eyes, still shaken by the dream – no, the mix of memories, because she did remember that day, both these days she had just witnessed again. As she was trying to calm herself down, in the complete silence of her room, broken only by her uneven breathing, he perceived a small noise coming from the ground floor of the house.

Freya glanced at the clock standing on her bed-table and saw it was almost three in the morning. She frowned, wondering what he was doing up at this hour of the night, and slipped soundlessly out of bed, jolting the mattress as little as possible. She padded out of the room and down the stairs, following the small noises to the kitchen where she saw his Malcolm making himself a cup of hot chocolate.

"Can't sleep?" she asked the woman and winced internally when Malcolm visibly startled, as she had thought he would have heard her come down.

"Freya!" The black archer exclaimed, his had coming automatically to his chest, resting on his racing heart. "You scared me."

"Sorry," she apologized, getting a mug out of the kitchen cabinet for herself and Malcolm immediately started on another drink. "What's wrong?"

Malcolm shook his head.

"Nothing. Just feeling a bit restless, I guess. I'm fine Freya, promise. What about you? Don't tell me I woke you up? I tried to make sure not to make too much noise."

She sighed as he didn't want to bother her with an account of her nightmares, especially considering the subject. She knew it was a bit stupid, but she didn't feel like telling Malcolm that she had woken up, terrified, by a dream. Still, the little noises she had made wouldn't have stopped her from going straight back to sleep if her mind hadn't been much too wired, her heart trying to race out of her chest, the images of Malcolm's murderous glare still running behind her eyelids.

"Weird dream," she answered, opting for a half-truth. "I couldn't get back to sleep."

"What kind? «Malcolm asked, curious, as he had never known his best frirend to let her subconscious mind prevent her from getting the rest she needed.

"A dump one," she told him, shaking her head to make him understand she didn't feel like talking about it right now and Malcolm let it drop, eyes going back to her chocolate.

They talked about many things and walking her back to her room, they reached her room and she was about to go in when he stopped her

"Next time you go on a night time stroll, you might want to wear a bra. It has been terribly distracting" He whispered in her ear before smirking at her lustfully and walking off, leaving behind a shocked Freya and her glass of chocolate.


	8. Chapter 8

''I feel like a teenager ay his first date ''Thought freya as she sat in front of her vanity mirror, brushing her curling hair with a soft bristled antique brush. She was wearing an emerald green cocktail dress, low cut with thin straps. In front of her were two diamond earrings with gold settings resting on a bed of velvet. They were a match for the diamond drop necklace already secured on her neck.

Her makeup was already applied, reddish coral lipstick and subtly gold eyeshadow. Her hands shook a little as she worked on her hair. She had debated for nearly an hour but had finally settled on leaving it loose and falling to her shoulders per Barry's suggestions before he'd been deployed for a mission. She'd said Freya's usual styles were a bit too intense for a date.

Date?. She was never on a date except with Malcolm.

It was her first one in so many years she barely even remembered. Only one night stand.

" You look beautiful Freya. Snart eyes will fall out if his head" Oliver said, and Barry gaped at him. "Oliver!Help me here"

"It took 12 frozen banks, 3 burnt down museums, and 1 city hall on the verge of breaking down, for Freya to agree to go out with him." Oliver said, ignoring his boyfriend's protest.

" Thank you" said Freya with a soft voice. Barry looked at his aunt and boyfriend . Freya had taken to Oliver instantly, and he had found in her the motherly love he had long missed. Barry, returning after an emergency rescue one afternoon, had found them sitting together on the porch and laughingly told his aunt she had adopted another orphan.

The woman looked at the card that was back in her office. She had agreed to the appointment himself when she sent a copy of the paper.

_We'll flirt, play fights, talk 24/7, say goodmorning and goodnight every day, give each other nicknames, hang out, talk on the phone for hours, take cute pictures together, make promises to each other and hold each other._

_And whoever falls in love first, loses._

The doorbell rang.

_Today there will be blood," Lieutenant Freya Novak's strong commanding voice rang through the night. Hearing the steely command and determination in her voice caused the men to stand straight and proud as they listened to the woman who always led them to victory. Watching her soldier's reaction to her authority never ceased to make her proud as she saw the respect they had for her and she strove to keep it._

_"There will be death!" Freya roared as the soldiers cheered. Raising a closed fist in the air to silence them the men immediately quieted. After making sure she had their silence and attention she continued in a somber voice conveying the seriousness of the situation._

_"I can't promise you that some of that blood will be ours," Freya trailed off as she remembered past wounds some of them were her fellow soldiers and some hers. Freya worried how many injuries will befall them this time. "And as much as I wish everyone will go home alive, I can't promise you that either."_

_There was a moment of silence for their fallen soldiers in the past and those yet to come. After a moment of silence Isabella finished her declaration in a voice full of promise and determination. "But I promise you three things," Freya paced before her troops looking each man in the eye as she gave her vow. "We will have our victory. The people will have their freedom. THE ENEMY SHALL FALL!"_

_The men cheered at their leaders promise, all doubts were gone as they roared their approval. "FOR VICTORY!" Freya screamed as her men took up the chant._

_"FOR VICTORY!"_

_"FOR VICTORY!"_

_"FOR VICTORY!"_

_The men continued to chant as Freya looked on proudly with a wide smile on her face._

All of these memories flashed through her mind as she once again found her purse wedged behind the sofa cushion. Barry and Snart were talking, and Barry was tense and glaring daggers at the older man. How adorable, Barry was being a little man of the house, probably threatening Snart to take good care of her. She brushed between them and Snart flashed a smile at her.

"I'm ready, sorry again."

Snart offered her his arm in such an old school gesture of gentility that it startled her. Men never treated her with such deference...he acted like he had waited a lifetime just for her. She smiled and intertwined her arm with his and they stepped out the door.

" AUNT!" Said Barry urgently.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she said brusquely, torn between her mothering and dating instincts.

"Have a good time." Barry mumbled forlornly. Freya was touched. When she got back, she would be sure to have a long talk with him about how he felt. As much as she wanted to have a social life again, she would give it all up if it would hurt him.

The criminal opened the door for her and helped her inside the car. As she settled in, he closed the door gently and in less than a moment was seating himself beside her. He was remarkably quick and extremely graceful, and it threw her for a moment. He had the reflexes and speed of a teenager.

He smiled at her, and her heart sped up a tad. She wondered again what it was about him that had charmed her so quickly. Her guard had been up for years, and Barry would be stunned to know the number of suitors she had turned down cold, including her own boss (hence the passive aggressive shift schedule he had imposed on her since then). The man just seemed...like he was from another planet or from a different race. She knew that she had never met anyone like him before. Not a single alarm bell had gone off.

* * *

But why did that feel wrong? Like betrayal?

Malcolm let out a string of curses.

He had been screwed the moment he laid eyes on Freya Nova.

He could feel it was time to rest but knew he probably wouldn't get any today.

Why did everything have to be so confusing?

Jealous? Harboring feelings of romance? Absolutely not!

Now if he could just convince his mind of that and the heart he had buried for so long.

But Freya was on a date.

Freya was on a date, and it wasn't with Malcolm.

Their "relationship" was a strange one. He still tried to push her away for her own good. And as always she would push back. Try as he might to persuade her there was nothing between them, the chemistry that they shared was undeniable. There was an unspoken bond between them. Next to Tommy, she had the uncanny ability to read him like no one else. Not even Rebecca had been able to do that.

And God was she beautiful. How many times had he fantasized about touching that alabaster skin and running his long fingers thru her gorgeous chestnut hair? Too many to count. Of course that didn't include all the times he would just stare at her across the room when she wasn't looking.

But when their eyes did meet, neither of them had to say a word. All the longing and desire was there in their eyes for the other to drown in…to get lost in. And though he would never admit it, he did have feelings for Freya.

* * *

The car ride is pretty quiet except for when Snart asks which radio station Freya wants to listen to and Freya says he has no preference.

They're both nervous and hyperaware of not wanting to say the wrong thing. After all, this is their first date.

After about fifteen minutes of silence, Snart announces "we're here."

Freya looks out the front windshield and sees that they're at a cliff that overlooks downtown. It does more than overlook downtown, it gives a beautiful view of entire downtown Centrall. She's never been here before, but she's heard of this place.

"Come on," says Snart as he opens his door and goes to the back to grab the picnic basket.

Freya follows suit and gets out of the car. She closes her car door and walks closer to the edge of the cliff. Man, that view of downtown is amazing.

"You like it?" asks Snart as he approaches Freya carrying the picnic basket.

"It's beautiful," says Freya as he turns around and smiles at Snart. "I've never been here before."

Snart opens up the picnic basket and pulls out a Yankees blanket. He shakes it open and drops it on the ground.

"I hope you like the Yankees," says Snart as he flattens the blanket out.

"I'm more of a football kinda guy," says Freya as Snart steps onto the blanket. "But the Yankees are cool."

Snart sits down and pulls the picnic basket in front of him.

He looks up at Freya. "Am I gonna sit here by myself or are you going to join me?"

Freya smirks at Snart and sits down next to him

Look at that view," says Snart looking over the cliff. "It's so beautiful. When I was younger, I always used to come here with my mom. My dad was off being an egomaniac My mom and I would come here to watch the sunset, talk, and just enjoy the serenity. This is the spot where she told me that she always knew I was gay and that it made me special. She told me right here that she would always be in my corner and that she loved and supported me no matter what; I was her little boy and nothing could ever change that."

Snart clears his throat and blinks back tears. "I thought I loved this place before my mom died, but after, I would come here to feel close to her. Coming here made me feel like she was still with me. I could feel her spirit with me when I was here, loving me and protecting me like she always did."

Freya listens to Snart's words touched by the sentiment and the emotion. This is an extremely special place to Snart, Freya knows what it's like to lose your mom, and Snart chose to share this place with her.

"I can't believe you brought me here," says Freya in amazement as Snart turns to face her. "This is a very special place to you and you chose to share it with me."

"I know that typical first dates are like dinner and a movie or something cliché," says Snart hoping this isn't too much for a first date. "But I've never been one for clichés. This is about us getting to know each other better and I couldn't think of a better way to show you a part of myself. I hope it's not too much."

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that," says a panicked Freya realizing that the meaning behind what she said didn't come out right. "I'm honored that you chose to share this place and the story behind it with me. It's beautiful, thank you."

Snart puts his hand out and Freya reaches out to put her hand on top of Snart's and interlocks their fingers. They smile at each other.

"So are you hungry?" says Snart as he gently undoes his hand from Freyas and leans forward towards the picnic basket.

"Starving," says Freya as Snart opens the picnic basket. "What'd you bring?"

"I hope you like chicken cutlets, although they're cold from being in the fridge all day" says Snart pulling a plastic container with a few pieces out. "There's also pickles and potato salad. I wasn't really sure what to make."

"I do like them," says Freya as Snart pulls out the pickles and potato salad. "You made all this?"

"Just the chicken cutlets, they were one of the things that my mom taught me how to make," says Snart as he pulls out some plastic dishes, silverware, napkins, and two bottles of water. "I got the pickles and potato salad at the store."

Freya looks at Snart impressed. He really put a lot of thought, time, and effort into this date.

Snart opens up the chicken cutlets and holds out the plate to Freya. "Taste it and let me know how they are, I haven't made them in a while."

Freya breaks off a piece of one and eats it.

"Well, how bad are they?" asks an anxious Snart as Freya finishes chewing.

"They're delicious," says Freya as he reaches for a napkin and cleans her hand of breadcrumbs. "Thanks for making these for me."

"My pleasure," says Snart as he smiles at Freya and notices a little breadcrumb on the side of her lip.

"You have a little," says Snart as he reaches out his hand and gently brushes the breadcrumb off of Freya's lip.

"Thanks," says Freya meeting Snart's eyes as Snart brushes his hand against Freya's face.

Snart smiles, his hand now firmly on Freya's cheek, and Freya leans in towards him. Snart leans in the rest of the way as their lips press together. This kiss is different than the kiss they shared at the hospital a few weeks ago. This kiss is gentle and slow as Freya and Snart reposition themselves so that Snart's hands are on Freya s face and Freyas hand are wrapped around Snart's waist. Freya deepens the kiss and directs her tongue into Freya's mouth, an action which Snart matches in seconds by putting his tongue in Freya's mouth.

They break apart after a few minutes and both catch their breath. Now that was a kiss.

"Let's eat," says Snart as they smile each other.

Ten minutes later, both Freya and Snart have some of the food in paper plates and are eating and talking.

"My mom was a doctor and my dad was a successful business man." Freya shrugged, eyes seeming to glaze into memories. "My mother was an amazing doctor, so the fact she caught the symptoms so late were startling."

"Symptoms?" Snart pryed.

"She had dementia," Freya explained. "Frontotemporal Dementia. It, uh, leads to the loss of some brain functions and also shrinks your brain. She died when I was five and it has no cure."

Snart was silent, minds racing at this new information of the woamn.

"After my mom died, my dad turned into a Triple-A parent,"

Snart looks away. He knew about that kind of parent.

"He sorta lost it after my mom. He wasted the money on whiskey and other forms of liquor. He didn't really hit me until I was eight. He just verbally abused me, telling me how worthless I was, how it was my fault my mom died. Everything just crashed around me. I had lost both my parents and I was alone."

Snart was mad. Matbe he was a criminal but women and childrend are his limits. He would never hurt a kid or woman.

"You know it wasn't your fault right?" Snart asked, handing reaching to touch some part of Freya before drawing his hand back.

Freya shrugged, gazing deeply into the man eyes, like it had all the answers. "I left when I was 14," she continued. "I didn't want to live like that anymore. But living in the streets with nothing but the clothes in my back, life wasn't easy." A dark look passed over Freya's eyes, shoulders hunching. She seemed to debate on whether she wanted to tell them before resigning to her fate.

"When I was 15, I had gotten used to some of the ways of the street. I knew which people I should manipulate to get food, which people to avoid. Of course I couldn't avoid all of them."

"Freya-"

"I was raped."

The silence was deafening.

What?"

"I was raped," Freya repeated. She seemed to just be talking now, her eyes wouldn't even meet the man. "I was walking down a clear road, people everywhere and he grabbed me from an alley. I was screaming and crying for someone to help me but no one came. I couldn't trust anyone. He told me that a pretty boy like myself shouldn't be all alone. Once he finished with me though, that's what he did. I was bleeding, hurting and felt like I was dying and he just walked away, like nothing even happened. I changed then."

" Training became my escape from the cruel world. Alec Woodblack was the man which pulled me away from the streets and he showed me things that I never dreamed could happen."

Snart reaches out to takes Freya's hand and squeezes it reassuringly. Of course he doesn't want to see Freya cry, but Snart's glad Freya's allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to open up like this.

"I'm sorry," says Freya sniffling. "Crying is a sure fire way to ruin a date."

"Not this date," says Snart trying to meet Freya's eyes, still holding her hand. "There's no need to apologize."

Freya gives him a small smile. Snart is really different than he ever thought and they have a lot in common.

The sun setting over downtown catches Snart's eye. What a sight.

"Look at that," says Snart pointing to the sunset in order to bring it to Freya's attention.

Freya turns to look and is mesmerized by how beautiful the sunset looks on the buildings.

Snart lets go of Freya's hand and lays back on the blanket putting his hands behind his head.

Freya turns to give him a strange look, but Snart just smiles. "Don't make me lay here all by myself. I don't bite, I promise."

Freya smiles at Snart's cute gesture understanding that it's Snart's way of saying he wants Freya to lay with him.

Freya lays her body down on the blanket and scoots over to lift her head onto Snart's chest with her legs spread out to the side of Snart's body. Snart adjusts his position so Freya gets comfortable and once he does, he drapes his arm over Freya's stomach.

"Better?" asks Freya looking up at Snart.

"Much," says Snart giving Freya smile and closing his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

His father and his godmother are fighting. Again.

They've been doing that a lot lately. They're always at each other's throats, and quite frankly, Tommy doesn't want to know why.

Except, he sort of does. Because... he can't remember a time they've ever been this strained. It's one thing for them to bicker, but a whole different thing for them to seriously argue nearly all the time. It has become sort of normal to hear Malcolm and Freya yelling at each other through the walls of different rooms. Tommy has long gotten used to the sound of slamming doors and loud cursing that echoes through the Manor.

Tommy catches a few snippets here and there, though he never actively tries to piece together whatever has them so angry at each other.

More often than not, if they aren't fighting, they can be found somewhere brooding and sulking. Whenever they aren't fighting, Malcolm has a habit of gravitating towards Tommy, just wanting to talk, even though he never actually says that's what he wants. Freya, oddly enough, gravitates towards gym.

There's a loud slam, followed quickly by Freya's shout, and Tomny looks over at Caitlin. She grips the mug tighter and bites her lip. Tommy get uo from the couch kissing Caitlin before walk toward to his father`s office.

He walked into his fatber offficebto see him on his laptop, typing like a monster.

Tommy doesn't say anything. He never does, not when his father is like this with Freya; he knows better than to do that. It might take a bit, but Tommy knows that Malcolm will eventually break and start ranting until he lets Tommy give him some advice that will help him cool down.

And, he isn't wrong. Tommy can see the exact moment that Malcolm is going to break. His hands loosen and a deep breath pushes from his body. He hunkers down a little, a pout formed between his eyebrows. Tommy goes still and starts counting down.

3…

2…

1…

"She's just so stubborn, you know?"

Tommy internally rolls his eyes, though he keeps his face perfectly blank.

"You just care about her," Tommy says softly, nodding seriously. "We all do. I get it."

" She doesn't listen me. " Malcolm rumbles."Of all the times I need her to listen, and she chooses now not to?"

" About what" Tommy asks, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Aboyt her fucking date with that asshole Captain Cold"Malcolm Dean mutters, making a face when he says " date " and grinding his teeth as he clenches the desk.

" Date " Tommy yells, twisting in his seat to stare at Malcolm with wide eyes.

This is what they were fighting about? Hell, Tommy suddenly understands where all the shouting came in; he should've been shouting. What the hell is godmother thinking?

She dare to say to me about her date with , at first, it was all ` it was wonderfull` and ` he was a gentleman` and all that bullshit. But then, he started talking about Snart, " Malcolm explains, mocking Freya's voice in a high pitch and glowering out the window when he says Snart's name." She being sarcastic about getting marry him"

Tommy blinks rapidly, his eyes drifting to stare out the window. He wishes, suddenly, that he'd been paying more attention to the fights they had. He'd assumed that they'd been arguing because of the tension they carried around between them, because there's no outlet and they are walking a fragile line. But he has never been more wrong, and he wishes he'd known, just so he could have argued with Freya too. Freya with a man which is not his father is just wrong. To create a new family without them. Without Malcolm.

All kinds of wrong.

How did that even happen?" Tommy muses, arching an eyebrow at his father.

"I don't fucking know. Snart wanted this date so bad which he froze banks and pars around Central City. Today , they have another date she fucking called Snart to talk some more about it. Like, literally right after! With me still in the room! " Malcolm shouts, absolutely fuming.

Okay, this is leaning more towards a rant on partners being unfaithful. It definitely holds that air, and Tommy knows he has to be cautious. Because, if his father slips up and lets some real feelings show, not the watered down shit he actually lets out, they'll both be in a world of awkwardness that they aren't ready for.

"Aunt must think he's trustworthy." Tommy says softly, wincing the moment the words fall out.

"Oh, I bet he does. I'm sure Mr. Smarmy Cold Asshole is absolutely charming . Smooth talking Freya right on into his arms, like some fucking suave jerk laying out a trap for the game."

Tommy starts up a mantra in his head, consisting mostly of don't let it show that his father sounds like a married man whose partner is cheating on him, don't let it show, don't let it…

Without knocking Freya walked into the office and Malcolm forgot how to do english.

She looked simply beautiful. Her dark hair caught in a loose chignon, an errant strand falling around her face. She wore an ice blue dress, which enhanced, her delightfully feminine curves, not too tight and falling to the knee. Her warm chocolate brown eyes were sparkling with happiness, but he couldn't help but notice a little hint of sadness appeared to have clouded her earlier joy.

Tommy admired the beauty of the woman as Malcolm could not stop undressing her with his eyes.

" Where are going, aunt?"

Freya decided to stay there far away from the god of the sea as she replied'' I have a date''

'" With him" Malcom and for some unknown reason jealousy had slithered into his veins like a venomous snake, filling his heart with poison.

''Why? 'Asked the man as Tommy he walked a few steps away from his father.

''Because I want to' 'the woman replied and Tommy decided that τhe two of them have more fun from the television and he wished to have popcorn.

Throughout the whole discussion, Tommy kept his gaze fixed on his father.

His feelings for Freya were not so obvious. But he could see it in his eyes, and also smell it in his emotions. He hadn't needed his senses to figure out that Malcolm was jealous. After that, it had varied between pride and awe each time the woman said something particularly smart, and jealous each time male got too close to Freya, or received his attention or affection.

"So. Obvious." He mouthed, an amused twist to his lips.

And with that Freya and Malcolm glared at the boy and raised their eyebrows.

" Be carefull"

Relax." She patted Malcokn´s shoulder. "You´re still going to be my favorite villian." And with that Freya turned around and walked away, before she kissed his cheek and leaving Malcolm behind gaping like a fish.

The cheeks of the god of sea was red and Tommy could not stop laughing as his father's face it looked like a fish outside the water.

"Wow," Tommy whistled. "And something already happened between you two''

''We are just friends' 'Malcolm shot back, grinding his teeth.

''Just friend. Hun?''asked Tommy.

''Just friend don't get jealous.

''Just friend don't steel secret glances at each other.''

''Just friend don't get butterflies from each other''

''Just friend don't hold each other like that''

''Just friend. Yeah right''

Ignoring the question implicit in Tommy's raised brow .Malcolm stormed out of his office. He walked into his bedroom and sat down in his bed struggled to calm down.

When his heart rate descended into the 'less than panic-attack-inducing' range, he had to admit that his reaction to today's revelations had been a little over the top. Scratch that. They were bordering on the extreme. He was so angry - pretty much his go-to emotion when he felt overwhelmed or upset about something. Alright, he knew he had 'issues' with infidelity.

The man groaned and resisted the urge to bury his hands in his perfectly sculpted hair. He wasn't ready yet to let go of the anger that was coursing through his veins. But if he was being even slightly honest with himself, even Malcolm would have seen the truth. It had nothing to do with Snart. It had everything to do with her.

* * *

To begin with, doing it in the Foundry was probably not the best idea.

But hell if Barry could wait any longer for Oliver's questing hands to strip him off of his clothes. Because there was something hot in those calloused palms skimming against his skin, experienced in both handling the taut string of the mechanical bow and at the same time knew how to work on Barry's taut muscles and kneading him in the right places.

Then there was the thought of easily phasing out of clothes and he's a _speedster,_ for goodness sake, that he could have transported them both in Oliver's apartment.

But of course, the idea of speeding to the privacy of their bedroom was thrown out of the window when Oliver attacked Barry's sensitive spot on the neck, trailing kisses down to his collarbones and sucking on the place that sends delicious shiver down his back, and when the older man went lower, breathing over Barry's left nipple after giving it a few kitten licks, Barry realized that his death wouldn't be at the hands of any meta or the Green Arrow's arrows but rather on Oliver's tongue.

Barry let out a choked moan, bringing Oliver over him when he was promptly slammed down on top of the working table and whoever works on that table, Barry's sincerest apologies go to them since he couldn't give a damn and the only thing he could think of was if he couldn't get Oliver inside him or his large hand wrapped around his cock, somebody would be sleeping on the couch tonight and it wouldn't be Barry.

He got Oliver practically ripping his jeans and Barry was close to singing praises to the deity who decided to keep any of the Team Arrow from their headquarters. Or to the deity who made it possible to have Oliver Queen as his talented lover who he was at the mercy of.

Barry almost exploded when Oliver's sizable and incredibly hard length touched his, the simulation was even yet to begin and there was already heat on his stomach waiting to be released, and it could have been at the barest of touch on his manhood.

Keywords: could have been.

There was a gasp that went unnoticed if not for the clatter of tools dropped on the floor, startling the both of them. Despite the fact that Oliver was wide enough to obscure Barry's compromising position and nakedness waist down, it wasn't hard for geniuses to figure out what was going on.

Particularly if said geniuses were Tommy and Caitlin.

"Oh my God," came Caitlin's unsurprising reaction that Barry couldn't help but mutter the same line as well. "Is that Felicity`s keyboard you're on top of?"

Barry's redness of the face was now due to embarrassment. And it was ridiculous that it wasn't Oliver doing so when it was his pants pulled down and giving them a view of his meaty ass (though maybe it was that there was nothing there that Caitlin hadn't seen before). The older man has an unreadable expression that the speedster didn't bother to decipher, busy burying his face on his palms in shame as Caitlin babbled on and on that Barry would help with the sanitation of her baby and _dear Lord, I don't want to know what other things you did there._

Oliver cleared his throat, not turning from his position but craning his neck to address them over his shoulders. "If you'll give us a moment please?"

"Right." Caitlins high heels rang as she stalked off without complain (Oliver would be having words with her later).

Without looking back, Oliver, face as straight as he could muster, called out, "You too, Tommy"

"I was just…" Tommy trailed off, eyes going lower to Oliver's backside. He looked away sharply, catching himself. "Alright. I'm going now." He hastily went after Caitlin almost tripping on the screws he dropped.

Oliver and Barry remained still, both feeling the heavy atmosphere of awkwardness looming over them, the heated moment already escaped the two.

Barry drummed his fingers on Oliver's shoulder, with the latter looking far away and remaining quiet.

"No chance of continuing now, is there?"

Looking at their flaccid members, Barry got his answer.

* * *

Mick likes Freya. She's okay, for an army woman. In fact, Mick likes her a lot. They get along well (much to Lisa's own private shock). To the point that Mick is kind of protective of the woman. For a few reasons, but mainly:

She's a good kid

Shevis sarcastic as hell and put Lisa on her place wheb she is a bitcg.

She isn't annoying

She makes Len happy.

He'd never seen Len truly smile before Freya .

they were all at Saints and Sinners (by all, it's really just Mick, Lisa, Len and Freya) when Len had excused himself to the bathroom and Lisa was flirting with some guy at the other end of the bar, Mick notices some guy who looks like he'd fit right in with the Hell's Angels (really over the top and Mick rolls his eyes a bit) sit on the stool next to Freya, Mick starts to pay attention.

Mick had noticed that once Freya got comfortable around them, around the Rogues and Saints and Sinners, that she started to relax more and she even seemed to enjoy being in a place like this around people like them.

Mick slid out of his seat, took another swig of his beer.

You little cockslut, you were practically begging to be fucked on that table, so when Snart runs off like a pansy you'd think you'd be grateful when someone steps up to finish what he started!"

The entire bar went silent. Most of the Rogues stood up and those that didn't were clearly ready for action if they needed to be. He saw some metas flexing their skills a bit, some non-metas flexing their weapons a bit, getting ready in case.

Mick got there just as the guy was, Mick vaguely remembered someone calling him Travers before now that he had to recall a name, reaching forward as if to grab onto Freya who had tried to take another step back again.

"I don't think so, asshole!" Freya yelled, grabbing the guy by the shoulder and yanking him around to punch him hard in the face." Say 'What?' again. I dare you. I double dare you motherfucker. Don't fuck with me buddy or I'll kick your ass so hard you'll have to unbutton your collar to shit"

It wasn't a very long fight and it ended with Freya slamming the guy's head into the pool table. She didn't knock him out, but then again she hadn't intended to, but the guy was definitely dizzy.

"Now. Apologize to me. Since you're on your knees, anyway." Freya growled.

"Ain't that right, Travers? C'mon, I know you're awake." she jostled the man.

"I-I promise. I won't bother you anymore…" Travers sounded weak. Good.

"Say you're sorry for disrespecting me."

"I'm sorry for the disrespect. It won't happen again."

"What's going on out here?" Len's voice was strong and his footfalls sure as he walked over to them.

"This guy, Travers. He comes here once in awhile. Decided to cause trouble for Barry while you were out of the room. Came onto him, didn't like being told no, yelled at him, called him a name, called you a name, disrespected you both, I watched him flinch and step back more than once, boss. Travers tried to grab him, too. So, Freya convinced him to calm down and apologize to you both."said Mick while Freya was glaring at him.

Travers didn't look so confident now that he was only half conscious, on his knees and staring up directly at Leonard Snart.

The Rogues boss didn't look the slightest bit amused. He was all steel and tension, like he wanted to go a few rounds with the asshole himself.

Mick watched Len stare at Travers for a few moments, before he turned to Freya. Len kissed her softly and lifted a hand to softly caress Freya's cheek for a moment before pulling away from the kiss to ask, "Are you alright?"

Barry nodded, "Yeah…I'm fine, it was just…startling, that's all. He didn't touch me."

"Not the point, Freya. Nobody gets to disrespect you here. Besides…I know how things get to you sometimes…" the last part was whispered with Len looking directly into Freya's eyes as Len brought a hand up to gently rub at Freya's chest, over her heart, for a moment, causing the woman to blush a little and nod.

Now was not the time to question or correct Len, to try to argue that it wasn't a big deal and try to save Travers' worthless hide.

"Is that true? You do all those things, Travers?" Len asked after a moment, turning back toward the man in question, all cold steel once again. He'd never spoken to this guy before, but he'd seen him around the bar. He knew of him.

"W-well…"

"Che. Freya, did all of that happen like Mick said?" Len asked,despite the short conversation he'd had with Freya a second ago where he nearly confirmed it already.

Mick understood that Len wasn't actually calling his honesty or loyalty into question here, nor had he lost his short-term memory, and so stayed silent.

Frey's eyes were wide, but she nodded. "Yeah, Len…"

"What did he call you?" Len asked, all the while still staring at Travers.

Travers, who looked like he might piss himself.

"…A cockslut…" Freya replied, a little weakly and awkwardly. It was easy to embarrass the woman, but she was already kind of spooked so it wasn't helping.

Mick realized the exact moment when Len saw red and he didn't even ask what Travers had said about him, even though he should have since all the Rogues in the building were watching.

He supposed it didn't matter at this point, though. Everyone would probably find it understandable.

Mick moved out of the way.

Instead, Len cut off the questioning and leaned down to grab the guy by his bloody shirt and yank him up onto his unsteady feet just to knock him right back off those unsteady feet again with a solid punch to the face.

Mick heard bone cracking, he was pretty sure either the guy's cheekbone or eye socket had been fractured. Maybe his nose broken.

"Take him outside!" Len bellowed.

A few Rogues came over fast to pick the guy up and haul him out.

"Who was here with him?!" Len was still yelling.

Mick didn't think he'd ever seen Len's temper so hot.

A few people at the other pool table hesitantly raised their hands a bit.

"Get out! Take your idiot friend and don't ever come back! If I catch any of you here again, I'll make what happened here tonight look like fun!"

Travers' friends dropped the pool cues on the table and beat a hasty exit.

Len spent a few minutes breathing heavily and standing there with tense shoulders and stance.

Nobody said anything. Nobody even moved for a long time once the door shut after Travers' friends.

Finally, Mick saw Barry take a step forward and slide his hands over Len's shoulders gently and he noticed the tension subside a bit. It helped even more when Len reached around to bring Freya to the front of him and pulled him close, wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his hair a little. It didn't look like weakness, just like he was comforting her man.

When Freya kisses him. Agony and ecstasies abound. Anything done by a woman like her is bound to be intense, but Len thinks that if he were human his head might have snapped off.

Instead the choirs keep singing paeans, and

Nothing else touches, nothing but mouths, but mouths were meant to touch like this. Pulling back, even Freya cannot resist letting her teeth ghost over Len's full lower lip, falling trap as so many had before. Wasn't her fault. Len's lower lip is totally awesome.

" You scare the shit out if me" said Len after broke the kiss.

"If you don't think I'm a princess then you are right. I'm fucking queen"Freya said and pulled Snart a little closer, giving a kiss to his cheek that had Len giving a little smile and a blush and turning to touch his lips to Freya's a few times in soft little kisses.

These two were sickeningly sweet sometimes. But, his best friend was happy so he'd deal with the cavities.


	10. Chapter 10

Len should have been used to Freya's nightmares by now. He knew her time in the military had really messed with her, but Freya never wanted to talk about it and Len never pushed. But he never got used to waking up to the sound of the woman whimpering as she slept at his side.

This night was no different. Len was sleeping deeply until he heard those painfully familiar whimpers on his right. Sitting up, the man looked over. Freya was drenched in sweat and curled up in a ball. Her face was screwed up like she was in pain. Touching her bare shoulder, Len winced at the clammy feeling.

"Freya? Baby? Wake up, it's just a nightmare." Freya winced at the sound of Len's voice, but didn't come out of the state of terror she was in. Grasping her shoulder more firmly, the criminal shook the woman`s shoulder harder.

Not realizing his mistake until it was too late, Len wasn't expecting the quick hand that came around his throat and the other that grabbed his wrist and pressed him down into the mattress. Len gasped and looked into Freya's eyes that were looking right through him. "F- Freya." he gasped as the hand grew tighter around his windpipe. He scrambled at the woman's fingers trying to get them looser.

Len knew Freya wasn't seeing him. She was seeing whatever enemy was trying to kill him. "Freya, baby, please… you're hurting me." Len tried to speak as calmly as he could.

Len winced as he felt Freya`s grip get tighter and tighter on his wrist. So tight that Len suddenly felt a snap as a bone broke. A pained scream tore past his lips. That was enough to snap Freya out of hallucination. As everything caught up to him, the woman's face turned as white as a sheet.

"Oh god… Len.." Freya gasped as she scrambled off her boyfriend and into a corner across the room, as far from Len as she could get.

The criminal lay on his side, curled up in a ball and clutching his wrist to his chest. "Fuck.." he gritted his teeth, trying to breathe through the pain. Sitting up slowly, Len took in the curled up figure of her sitting in the corner. Slowly, like he was approaching a wounded animal, he came to kneel in front of the woman. "Freya.?"

Freya flinched, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Len ," she choked out. "I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't, Freya. I don't blame you." Len reached out his uninjured hand and placed it on Freya`s bare arm, trying to ignore the way he flinched back. "Hey, hey.." Len put his hand on the side of Freya's face and wiped a stray tear away. "You and me, right? I don't blame you, Freya. Never."

Freya took a shaky breath and nodded, but her eyes were glued to the red marks wrapping around Len's neck. Freya stared at him, looking slightly more alert, her head cocked to one side. She lifted her hand and ran her fingers across a large, jagged knife scar across his stomach. Len looked down and realized that his undershirt was practically see through wet and Freya could see his scars. Len took a step back and wrapped a towel around his chest. "No, please don't," Freya said, "I shouldn't have touched you, I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously," Len said.

"It's just that your scars are beautiful."

What the fuck did she just say? Len was torn between panic and rage, how dare Freya who has a tight body with beautiful, markless skin say that to him. Freya must have seen something in Len's eyes because she quickly added, "I cannot even imagine what you went through, I don't want to, because your father was an evil man. He never deserved such wonderful kids like you and Lisa. Your scars as a testament to your survival, your strength and the journey to become the amazing, sexy brilliant man that you are today. You don't have to hide them from me, Len."

Freya carefully pulled at the towel and Len let it drop to the floor, stunned by Freya's sentiment. She had been looking him in the eye and knew, even in the space between pain and fear, she meant every word she said. Freya slowly lifted Len's shirt and placed a soft kiss on the scar she previously touched. Len shuttered and took a step back. "Don't," Len looked down at his feet. The swirl of so many emotions in his gut made him feel nauseous now, the throbbing of his head starting to return, he just wanted to get Freya to bed and then to leave and pretend none of this ever happened.

"I am sorry," Freya whispered, hanging her head, "I just wanted you to know."

"Let's get you to bed."

They sat together on the bed for what seemed like hours, Len stroking Freya's arm with just his fingertips and Freya with her head resting on her boyfriend's chest.

She was hovering over Len, looking into his cold eyes. She planted a firm kiss on the man's lips. "From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A Story that says "I have survived"She whispered, before settling back on Len's chest, arm wrapped securely around her waist. It wasn't long before she was snoring.

Len eyes went wide.

The thing about Leonard Snart is that he never lets people in.

As in, never in a lifetime.

He built these walls so high and so tight around him, that he always thought it would be impossible to even crack them, just a little bit. Not even mentioning completely crumbling them.

For years and years and years he didn't let himself feel anything.

He was a monster. He didn't deserve to feel anything.

He didn't really have friends, or at least not anyone he would try to trust even a little. Just allies, in thief context. He also had enemies, but that's the whole other story.

He learned not to care, about what happens to other people - lovers come and go, they all are going to die anyway. Not to care, because it makes you weak.

And, most of all, he didn't love. He shut himself off from feeling anything towards anyone for years, decades, and he avoided the subject anytime someone would mention it.

He was okay with it. With being alone, with feeling the emptiness in the place his heart used to be in, with feeling nothing.

Until it stopped being fine anymore.

Until Freya came and shattered these walls he built around himself, not even meaning to do so.

Suddenly - in a simple momentum - something changed, he felt something, something he was not even able to explain. Suddenly he started to care, which was exactly what he avoided so carefully since almost forever.

And Freya didn't seem to care as much as he did.

But he couldn't help it, and every day he would find himself looking at Simon longer than it was necessary, searching for an excuse to talk to him, to be near him.

He felt helpless.

It took him some time, but finally he realized it, and the thought terrified him completely.

He was falling in love.

* * *

Malcolm had never made a big fuss about his birthday, and especially in the last few years, his birthday had become a really quiet affair. He didn't have many friends left; his job was destroying many friendships, and the few that were still intact weren't so close, or they lived on the other side of the country. Not many people at the company knew when his birthday was – and he wouldn't tell them – and so his birthday only consisted of working, leaving the office early and having dinner with his son.

Malcolm always tried to tell himself that he didn't feel lonely, that it was just a day like all the others... but as he woke up for his 47th birthday, he couldn't help but sigh as he thought about how nothing but the usual would await him today.

And maybe... maybe his mood was really bad as he made his way to One Hogan Place, trying not to think about how much of the scotch he had at home he would drink tonight. Not even his beloved coffee could lighten his mood, and his secretery seemed to sense this before he even exited the elevator – she only nodded at him, letting him walk past into his office without bothering him.

He was glad that he didn't have to be in a meeting today – nobody could see him bathing in his loneliness in his office. A text message from his son telling him that he'd come down with the flu and that they would have to postpone his birthday dinner was pulling his mood into lows that he hadn't thought to be possible, and he actually considered starting to drink in the office as the afternoon trickled by.

After sending his secretary home, he was already on his way to grab the scotch bottle he kept in his office when he suddenly heard a gentle knock on the door. Trying not to sound too annoyed or even miserable, he grunted a short: "Come in."

"Hey Mal."

He turned around, and for a short moment, he felt like someone had lit a candle in the darkness that seemed to have settled inside of him. Freya was standing in his office, a soft smile playing around her lips as she looked at him, her jeans and the leather jacket indicating that she must have gotten out of the office a while ago. Still she looked a little bit dressed up, as if she wanted to go to a party with friends.

"I'm really surprised to find you here at this time of day," she said, closing the door behind her, hiding her other arm behind her back.

"Really? Why?" Malcolm asked with a sigh, not bothering to mask that he was mentally tired as he sat down on the couch.

"Well, considering that it is your birthday..."

She moved over to the couch and sat down next to him, now moving her arm from behind her back, revealing a little paper box, and as he continued to stare at her, she opened the lid and revealed a mini cake. A little candle stuck in the chocolate frosting, surrounded by coffee beans, and before he knew it, Freya had lit it.

Her eyes were gleaming as she looked at him and whispered: "Happy Birthday, Mal."

Malcolm actually bit his lip as he sensed how his emotions started to boil up inside of him, getting out of control, and it made him uncomfortable, as it very rarely happened to him. Knowing exactly that she'd seen the tears gleam in his eyes, he looked down at his hands and took a deep breath before meeting her gaze again, mumbling: "Thank you."

They looked at each other for a very long moment, and he felt like she understood what was going on inside of him. It sometimes scared him how well she knew him, even without words, and that she seemed to know what he was thinking... but it also was something special he didn't want to miss. He'd never had something like that before with someone, and it made her that tiny bit more special to him.

"Come on, blow out the candle and make a wish," Freya told him, her warm brown eyes making his heart skip a beat, and he obeyed, extinguishing the flame with a short exhale and watching how the bluish smoke floated into the air. He had no idea what to wish for, because he felt like the only thing he could have wished for was already sitting next to him, carefully pulling the candle out of the cake.

"Freya... thank you," he said, and beneath her smile, there was a flicker of confusion as she gazed at him.

"You already said that," she pointed out, taking two plastic forks out of her bag and handing one to him.

"I guess one time wasn't enough. This... you don't know how much this means to me."

Their gazes locked, and he felt like he was sinking into her eyes, drowning in them; it didn't feel odd for him to openly show how moved he was by this, even though he normally guarded his reactions so carefully. She reached out and gently squeezed his hand, his skin tingling where she touched him, and a little bit of sadness crossed her beautiful features, showing him that she knew what he meant.

"Now be a good birthday boy and eat your cake. We got plans tonight," she said, clearing her throat and pulling her hand back the very moment he wanted to lace his fingers through hers and tell her what he felt because it just seemed the right thing to do.

"Plans?"

"Yeah," she confirmed while Malcolm forked a piece of cake into his mouth. It was simply delicious, a mixture of mocha, chocolate and raspberries, and he decided that it was the best birthday cake he'd had in his life. "You and I, we're going to go out tonight."

He had a strong desire to kiss her for ripping him out of his hole and giving him exactly what he needed, but he felt like he had to tell her that he'd loved her for years when he was less close to starting to cry out. happiness. She was driving him crazy once again, making him feel like he couldn't handle the sudden joy, and it made him feel like a wreck.

"Wh … what?" It came out almost as a whisper – he hadn't meant to, but she was so close, taking up all his field of vision, and anything else felt like shouting.

"Your pulse is racing again."

God damn it, he chided himself. If only you weren't such a –

Hang on.

Hang the fuck on.

Looking back, he would never figure out where he got the courage to say what he did next, in an even voice out of step with his thudding heart.

"So is yours."

He watched her expression flicker, and slowly she raised her head to look up at their hands, where the pad of his thumb was resting against her pulse point. She swallowed, and lowered her head to look at him once more. He searched her eyes, burning with the need for clarity. Her expressions had always been so easy to read, and sometimes he had felt them exchanging whole conversations just in looks. But this … he wanted to be sure about this.

Holy fuck, he thought, his mouth going dry. I'm right, aren't I?

She opened and closed her mouth, but, slowly, he saw in her expression a note of admission. He stared at her for an endless moment.

He wondered if she could still feel his pulse.

Malcolm opens his eyes, forces a smile on his face, and turns to Freya. She looks elated, something Malcolm isn't quite expecting, but it's a good look, a beautiful look on him.

And just for a moment, just a moment, Malcolm looks at her, looks at the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye and the sun is just right, casting an orange glow over Freya's face and Malcolm watches the way she just slightly turns her face up to meet it and it takes Malcolm's breath from him in one fell swoop. She's stunning, perfect, all that Malcolm wants.

He blames his sleep-addled brain and the picturesque moment for him taking two steps forward, cupping Freya's cheeks, and dragging her down into a chaste kiss.

It's not explosive. It's calming and soft and sweet as Malcolm pushes their lips together. His thumbs slide over Freya's cheekbones gently, tracing the beautiful woman beneath them, and just when Malcolm thinks he could stay like this forever, he pulls away with a small sound.

There's silence, and Malcolm doesn't want to open eyes just yet. He wants to stay in this moment, stay in this world where Freya is his for as long as she can, but then he feels Freya's hands sliding onto his wrists and he's wrenched back to reality with a sickening feeling.

"I'm sorry," Malcolm quickly says, yanking his wrists from Freya's grip and stepping back to put space between them. He can't look at Freya, can't see the betrayal there. He just stares at the mud around their feet and wishes for the ground to swallow him up.

But Freya doesn't say a word, not a damn word, and Malcolm feels like he's suffocating all of a sudden as he backs away further and further. The silence is stretched too long, the only sound the quacking of the ducks, and Malcolm can't bear it.

Without a word, she runs.

* * *

Freya spends nearly thirty seconds trying to turn her key in the lock before he admits to herself that her front door is already open. Yeah, well, things have been stressful lately; these sorts of things can slip through the cracks. It's not as though the building doesn't have great security.

"Hey."

Halfway through dropping her bag in the closet, Freya looks up toward the living room.

"Len?"

Leonard Snart stands up from the sofa and takes a hesitant step forward. "Are you okay?" he asks cautiously. "Should I— Do you want me to leave, did you want to be alone?"

"No," Freya assures him, dropping her bag and shedding her jacket. "No, I'm glad you're here. I just wasn't expecting it."

Everything is fine.

"Okay, well, even if that's true," Len presses, "you look like you could use a drink."

"Yeah," Freya agrees, "I was thinking the same thing."

Len dallies at the liquor cabinet for a second before he picks out whiskey.

"Len, I have to tell you something."

" Malcolm kissed me."

" He what?"

Yeah, safe to say that he was pissed. His drawl was more pronounced than ever, and even across the room, Freya could see the way his jaw was working. At least he didn't seem to be pissed at Freya.

Len pulled Freya nto his arms and covered her mouth in a soft but deep kiss. Freya melted against him, enjoying the rough feeling of his uniform fabric against her bare skin.

"Mine," he growled possessively in her ear, holding her tightly.

Freya laughed, even as his hands on her body were having an undeniably arousing effect. "You're sexy when you're jealous."

Snart said nothing. He kissed his way down the side of her neck, scraping his teeth along her skin, though not hard enough to leave any visible marks. Freya moaned and pressed into him, her hands seeking the button on his pants. Finding it, she flicked it open and reached inside, running her hand along his hardness. Snart growled and let her pump him a few times before pulling away.

Impatiently, Len unclasped her bra and pulled it off her shoulders, then tugged her panties down her legs, pulling them down to the floor so Freya could step out of them. She moved to kick her shoes off, as well, but Len stilled her with a hand on her ankle. "Wait," was all he said. Len ran his hands up her legs and hips as he stood, grazing them over her pouting nipples and pulling Freya into him for another deep kiss.

"Get the parka," he rasped into her ear, and Freya's mind scrambled to understand.

"The… parka?" Freya repeated breathlessly and glanced over her shoulder where the mink was draped over an armchair. Len nodded. Freya walked over to it in her high heels and picked it up uncertainly.

While she was doing that, Len quickly pulled off his uniform shirt and undershirt, leaving him bare-chested. He sat on the edge of the bed and palmed his cock through his pants and commanded, "Put it on." Freya looked at him skeptically, and he added, "Please. Been thinking about you naked wearing that thing all day."

Freya pulled the parka on around her and immediately appreciated what Len had in mind. The rub of the satin lining against her hot skin, her bare nipples, was incredibly sensual. Freya wrapped herself in the luxe fur, burying her chin in the collar. She looked up at Len through her lashes and saw that he was staring at her intently, his mouth slightly agape with lust.

"Turn around," he said, and Freya complied, slowly stepping in a circle. As she did, she heard Len let out a low wolf whistle behind her. Freya turned back to face him with a sly grin, feeling heady with the power she apparently had over him. She stepped toward him until she was standing between his legs, his powerful cock jutting out at her underneath his pants.

Freya ran her hands over Len's bare shoulders, enjoying the feel of taut muscle and smooth skin that had haunted her fantasies ever since she pulled a knife to him. For his part, Len pushed his hands inside the front of her coat, feeling her bare breasts, which were still concealed from his view. Freya felt herself growing wet at his touch, knew she wanted him inside her.

"Len" she breathed, and threw her head back. One of his hands reached down to stroke between her legs, and she spread her thighs in invitation. Len's fingers parted her wet folds, finding her heated center, stimulating her but not filling her. Freya gasped and opened herself to him further, and he finally plunged into her with two fingers, causing her to let out a loud cry of pleasure.

Len took his hands off of Freya and undid his pants, pulling his cock out and stroking it in front of her. He scooted back on the bed, and Freya followed him, straddling his hips, kicking her high heels off as she moved. There was no need to say anything; they both knew what they wanted. Their heavy breaths were the only sounds in the otherwise-quiet room. Freya reached down and grasped Len's heavy, hard cock, positioning herself over him. She slid down onto him slowly, both to savor the moment and to give herself time to accommodate his considerable size. When she was fully seated on his cock, she rolled her hips and gasped at the sensation.

Freya began riding Len at a steady pace, feeling his hands grasping her thighs. The mink parka slipped off her shoulders and off the end of the bed as she moved, leaving her completely naked on top of Len. He reached up to palm her breasts, and she leaned down into him. The stimulation on her nipples and the sensation of Len inside her felt so incredible, Freya felt her orgasm building quickly. She came quietly, shuddering in ecstasy, feeling her climax more deeply than she could ever recall before.

As she stilled on top of Len, he picked her up and flipped her over easily, driving his cock into her from above. She met Len eyes as he looked down on her and saw not only lust there but love, devotion, adoration. Freya zsmiled slightly and licked her lips. In response, Len kissed her hard, moaning into her mouth as he thrust into her. Finally, Freya felt him push into her one last time, and then he pulled out abruptly and spurted hot and thick onto her mound and stomach.

Still panting slightly, Len rolled over to the side and grabbed a towel off the washbasin by the bedside for her. Freya cleaned herself off and commented, " That was hot"

Len couldn't bring himself to care though, not at that moment, not when he was leaving open-mouthed kisses over Freya s bare neck and chest.

Freya gasped when Len bit down on her throat possessively, it was just a little nip, but it was still a surprise. "Mine," the criminal growled.

Freya nodded, whimpering when the man started sucking marks into her skin. "Yours," she agreed.

A few hour later ,her phone buzzed and she received a message from him, saying "I don't regret that."


	11. Chapter 11

Flarrow vs Rogues

The two teams were glaring at each other while Freya and Leonard trying to find a plan to destroy Zoom.

You will have two questions

1)Why they team up?

2)Why they glaring at each other?

At your first question: Zoom terrorizes their city and neither of them can tolerate it.

At the second question: Jealousy

Freya Nova was the godmother of Barry and Tommy. She spent a lot of time training with Laulre and Oliver, helping Caitlin with nursing stuff and watching movies with Cisco. She became a mother figure for the team and they don't want to share her.

About Rogues, Freya Nova was boss` woman who must be treat with respect or someone will die. The woman spent a lost of time with the Rogues at their safe houses. She helped Axel with his craziness. Mark and Freya share a love for classical music. Shawna found someone who help her to get over from her ex-abused boyfriend and Lisa found a shopping friend. Mick found a new best friend who can fuck Leonard with. Snart found it amused that his two favorite people in the world love to drive him crazy.

It didn't take long for the plan to be outlined, it was really just a little more solved than Mick's original, maim, burn. The only hitch was Freya`s stubborn boyfrind and his stubborn Rogue and the stupid stubborn Flarrow team.

"I want to be there." Freya insisted again.

"No." Several growls met her insistence.

Freya looked at them saying. 'I think you know that I can protect myself as I 'm...''

''Master of 127 terms of armed and unarmed combat ,including ,Boxing and Tae Kwon" said Barry as cut her off and he felt a hand striking his head.

She was ready to yell at them when she felt a rumbling in her pants all of a sudden. She pulled out her phone and saw that it was from Malcolm's company office.

"Let me just name the million other people I'd rather be having a call with right now. What you want?" Freya asked eagerly into her phone.

"Freya?" The woman heard her best friend say

" What the hell youbwant from me?" Freya questioned with her brow furrowed. "I didn't think our friendship insurance was that bad."

"Freya, I am so sorry. I don't know how many times I can say it." Malcolm pleaded into the phone.

"Mal?" Freya asked hesitantly, she didn't have a clue what her friend was talking about.

"I should have told you about this sooner, " It seemed that Malcolm was talking to himself despite him saying everything out loud.

"What are you-"

" Please , I want to see you." Malcolm informed his friend sounding just as serious as a heart attack.

Freya's phone fell from her hand and dropped to the ground.

"Freya? Freya?"

The woman could hear the voice of her friend just fine but she didn't answer him, she absolutely refused to at the moment.

Freya took one deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

Her life just kept getting stranger and stranger as the days went by.

What the fuck? He wants to tell her what? About the kiss? About her own reaction? She kissed back...

"Aunt F?" Freya turned when she heard the concerned voice of Tommy.

He was slowly walking toward her with a concerned smile on his face. "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

Freya looked over and saw that not only were Barry and Snart giving her looks, but the Rogues had actually stopped playing to see what she was yelling about, again.

"Just a lot of drama, drama, and more drama." Freya said with a shrug holding back the irritated frown that wanted to appear on her face.

Before anyone could ask her another question Freya picked up her keys from her bag and started walking toward her car.

With that the black eyed woman jumped in her car and sped away from the premises.

Freya's thoughts were going just as fast as her car was, probably even faster. She just couldn't fight off the worry and fear that came from this new development.

He was in love with her?

"All this thinking is making my brain bitch." Freya complained scratching at the top of her head.

Freya arrived at Merlyn's company having only broken a minimal amount of speed and traffic laws surprisingly.

She pushed open the door of the building and few of employees jumped away from her from fear.

She stood in front of his office taking a deep breath and push the door. Malcolm looked quite stressed about something, his head was buried in his hands as he sat down in his chair hunched over.

"You wanna talk about what happened? Let's talk about what happened. Because if anyone knows about selfish, it's you."

"You have some nerve saying that to me," He seethes, his face beginning to flush, "when you know I have put you over me for years."

"I don't care what you've done for years!" Freya cries. "You knew I was seeing someone, and you did that to me anyway."

" I told you, Freya," he reminds her." I am sorry"

Oh, that is the last goddamn straw.

"You are sorry" Freya snaps." What the fuck is with you?"

" I love you." Malcolm bursts out."I've loved you from the first moment I ever laid eyes on you and the better I get to know you, the deeper I fall in love with you. Without ever realizing it, you've made me a better man by challenging me at every turn…giving me new perspective. But more importantly, you've made me a better man and the longer I know you, the deeper my love grows."

Freya interrupted him, "Wait….you…love me?"

" Rebecca?"She asks icily. Malcolm shakes his head.

" I married her because she was pregnant. She knew my feelings for you by the first moment she met you. When you came back from military I thought thatI can have you but you were in a relationship with Liam and I got her pregnant. "

"YOU ALRIGHT CHOSE HER!" Freya shouted. ". HOW COULD I TAKE AWAY HER HAPPINESS? YOUR HAPPINESS?"

That last question made something in him snap.

"I WOULD OF BEEN HAPPY WITH YOU!" Malcolm shouted. "I WOULD BE HAPPY WITH YOU AS MY WIFE AND NOT WORRY IF YOUR NOT COMING BACK FROM A WAR! OR THAT YOUR GOING TO COME BACK WITH SOMEONE AS YOUR PARTNER! I LOVED REBECCA! BUT I LOVE YOU MORE!"

"Stop talking," she said, curling her fingers around strands of his hair, pulling his head closer to hers. "Stop fucking talking, because you owe me this. You owe me." And he was lost again, as she pressed their mouths together, claiming dominance as her tongue slicked against his.

Her fingers were undoing his belt buckle as she pushed him against the closed door, unzipping his pants, hands snaking in to grip his erection. And he was sliding his hand up her skirt, gripping her thigh, as his fingers brushed against her panties. She was already wet, he found, almost ready, and he worked his fingers into her, rubbing her almost frantically.

She made a keening sound against his mouth, and bit down on his tongue as she freed him from his pants, stroking him to get him harder, and it really didn't take much at all, because he was feeling every bit of her. And it was all he ever wanted, all that he thought he would never have.

He pulled his fingers out of her, and tugged her skirt down, along with her panties, as she moaned and dragged him closer towards her. "Wait," he said, pushing her back. "Protection."

In response, she growled, and yanked his hair hard. "I don't care. I need you to fuck me. Now."

He never wanted their first time to be just fucking, he had always imagined something else (sappy, tender, loving), but if this was all there was to it, he would take it. He lined himself up, bracing his hands on the wall, and then he slid into her in one, rough stroke. She was warm, and wet, clenching around him, and he felt his head spin a little, because it felt so good, and it was barely the beginning.

He was going to give her time to adjust herself, but she hooked a leg around his waist and raked her nails down his back. "Move," she ordered, and he obeyed, driving himself into her with quick, hard thrusts, building a fast, rough rhythm. He wished he could be gentler, but he couldn't, not with this all-consuming need, not with her heat holding him so tightly in its folds. She didn't want him to be gentle either, it wasn't what she needed or wanted. Their emotions were a jumbled mess, both him and her, and this was all they could hold on to.

"Harder," she gasped, and it was a sound filled with need, with anger, with desire, and perhaps a bit despair.

It was raw, it was desperate, and it was fucking good. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades, fingers tugging at his hair as he palmed her breast through her shirt, rubbing her nipple as he continued thrusting into her. She pushed herself up a little, and sank her teeth onto his shoulder as she moaned. "Harder, harder…I need to feel…" she faltered as he hit her at a particular deep spot. "Yes, yes, just like that, Merlyn, just…"

_Merlyn. She_ used his last name, and he felt something shattering in him, and he thought perhaps it might be his heart. He knew that he had lost her. Still, it was all his own doing, he had caused this.

He tightened his grip on her thighs as he bucked his hips against hers, knowing that there would be bruises when they were finally done. Her moans were changing in their pitch, and he knew that she might be close. He was close too, but he would hold out for her. There wasn't much he could do for her anymore; there was only this, giving her the release she needed.

She came with a muffled scream against his shoulder, her teeth breaking the skin there, and he followed soon after. He was going to pull out, but she wouldn't let him, holding him against her until he finished.

They collapsed into a heap on the floor, sweaty and panting, and still dressed. He turned his head to look at her, her eyes were half closed, her hair sweaty and plastered onto her face, and he thought that she had never looked more beautiful. Almost without thinking, he lifted his hand, and placed it gently on her head.

She stiffened, and then she flinched, sitting up and shifting herself away from his touch. She stood up unsteadily, locating her skirt and her panties. He pushed himself up, too, zipping up his pants as he watched her put on her skirt. She raked her fingers through her hair in a half-hearted attempt to tidy it, and then she turned to him. He could see it, it was on the tip of her tongue to say something hurtful, but then, she changed her mind.

She did something that was infinitely worse.

She didn't say anything, didn't even look at him one more time. She merely opened the door, and then she slipped out without a word. The silence was deafening once the door closed, and he stared at it, wanting so desperately to throw it open and run after her. But he knew he didn't have the right to. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he knew that whatever it was, it was futile.

Because he was broken, he had somehow managed to break her, too.

He supposed he would never be able to forgive himself for this.

* * *

Darkness

Pain

Blood

" Help"


	12. Chapter 12

The watched as the light blinked at Star Labs, Barry shaking his head all the way over. The Labs were quiet since everyone was out.

He followed it down to the pipeline, coming across a door blocking the hallway, the sensor opening. Placing his hand on it Barry smiled as he opened, excited Cisco put him in the system. His eyes widened and his smile fell as he saw his aunt resting up against the door. Turning his hand to open the door, Freya spilling out. Running over Barry kneeled down, looking at her.

"Aunt?" Freya groaned, waking up to see Barry.

"Am I still dreaming?"

"Aunt, oh god what did they do?" Freya smiled, sitting up.

"My boy." She said, pulling him into a hug, Barry smiling. "God how long has it been?"

"A few days. How'd you get in here?"

"Joe and Iris locked me in."

"Iris? Why?"

"Because I am a bad parent figure to you," Freya said, Barry, holding her in his arms.

"We're done. Let's go." Barry said, taking his aunt to the main room, running into medbay to retrieve a few things. Freya sat back, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. Her moment of peace is ruined by a yell.

"What the hell! How'd you get out." Freya's eyes shot open to see Joe and Iris standing before her. Before Freya could open her mouth Barry marched out with a medical box, a glare on his face. Immediately Joe and Irish froze Barry, standing between them.

"I thought you were right with this. You were right with him in the family and ready to make things work. I came to find out you locked her up. What's wrong with you."

"Bear, we were showing you that you deserve a better family. We are your family"

"I deserve better ?! I deserve a family who actually cared! One that didn't make it feel like my fault my aunt hadn't contacted me! I needed support, that's all I ever wanted was support and approval. All you did was lock away the woman I love like another because you have stupid family issues. I'm done here. Consider me removed from the family. " Joe and Iris' eyes drop, both trying to talk Barry out of his decision. Barry just helped his aung up and took her outside to a company van. The first step was to get food, the next a bath, the next sleep.

* * *

"I found Freya"

Barry's voice through lamb STARS made Cold jump from the couch just from mentioning of the Freya. He already frowned before he even realized it.

"Where?" asked Oliver, angrily.

Barry explained that he found his godmother locked in a cell, here in his lamb. Iris and his foster father had locked her in a cell for days to let her today by starving.

"I am going to kill them"shouted Snart.

"Don't!" Barry grabbed Snart who looked confused as he rose from the sofa. Oliver stopped cheering.

"Why not?" he asked, clearly annoyed. "They deserve it for everything they are done to her! No one hurts my mother figure and gets away with it! Oliver had a good point.

"And I hate seeing you unhappy! I'm all for killing that son of a bitch!" Oliver roared

"Who did anything to Freya?!" Hartley ducked his head out of Lisa's arm with Axel making a curious face but frowned. Luckily Mark was out with his girlfriend or the room would have a small storm performing. And Mick already growled and glared at his fire gun.

From their complicated relationship, let's just say the Rogues were really, really protective of their mother figure aka Freya Nova.

"She deserves everything she got," said Iris walking into the lamb STARS. Her laugh made Snart froze, his jaw clenching as he glowered at the woman. Outrage and murder evident in his eyes while he watched Iris laughs about abusing Freya. His. Freya. The thief took a calming breath before easing his mouth into its normal feral smile, showing a little sliver of his teeth.

Iris shrieked. "I don't understand why you defend her. She is the most..." Lisa cut Iris off by punching her in the face and breaking her nose, then she bent down and hit her again.

Lisa growled as she glared down at her, "If you ever call my mother figure monster again," she bent down so she was right in her face

"-you slapped me!" said Iris in disbelief. No one, in twenty-six years had ever slapped her before. No one. "You slapped me?!" She shrieked. "For that bitch"

"Iris!" shouted Barry and Caitlin.

Iris turned to Barry and Caitlin. "It's not fair!" said Iris, angrily, stomping her feet on the floor. "You always go to Freya about everything, for the smallest things! What about me?! I am your best friend and your future girlfriend "

"Please. Barry has a good taste in his date"

Caitlin murmurs to Tommy while Oliver's smirk would rival a shark's, wrapping an arm around Barry's waist.

Tears poured out of Iris` eyes. "It's not fair! You tell her everything! She helps you with everything! She knows everything about you! You go to her for comfort, for homework, for everything! What about me?!" She cried. "What about me … ?"

"She is my aunt. My mother" Barry yelled, angry at Iris." After the death of my mother, an aunt was there for me. Always caring and loving. You are just a jealous brat" He panted.

Everyone jumped, slightly scared of Barry. They suddenly knew and reminded again, why Eobard Thawne is dead. Barry is scary when angry.

"Of course I was jealous" Iris yelled, angrily. It's always about you! All the love, all the caring, the gifts, the kisses, and hugs. Barry this, Barry that, Barry there, Barry here, Barry did this, Barry did that! Barry, Barry, Barry! I lost a mother too but no one was there to help me. Freya just came back ad she is a god. I became a mother to everyone even those two sluts. Caitlin and Laurel." She hissed angrily, glaring at Barry. She didn't even notice that Caitlin and Laurel glared and hissed at her. Iris was too busy hissing at Barry. " Freya is worthless, stupid, bookworm, pathetic whore! She is a manipulative whore! A poor, greedy, ugly soldier! She just wants MMalcolm'smoney! Freay is a filthy, disgusting bitch! She is nothing, but a greedy whore that wants Malcolm's money!"

Everything was still and everyone was shocked. Besides Barry, Snart, and Tommy, they were angry. How dare you act and say something like this?!

Snart left the room wanting to see Freya. He found his lovely Freya stranding in front of a mirror with her back exposed to him.

There were several cuts-whip cuts- zigzagging across Freya's back. He saw the mark of hands and chains around her neck.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts and walked into the room, coming behind Freya, seeking her warmth. Freya shuddered at Snart's cold touch, looking back at him, if not fully awake before he was now. "Lenny." She said softly, leaning back into him, smiling a little as Snart buried his face in the crookneck.

"I'm sorry," Snart whispered and Freya only shook her head, pulling from him. She turned to look at Snarr, putting her hands on his shoulders, leveling him with a steady glance.

"It isn't your fault," Freya replied, her voice more careful than usual.

"When Barry told me about you were gone g, I thought I was gonna rip his head off with my own hands." Just thinking of this man again made his blood boil up. "I couldn't bear the sight of you being so terrified and broken. I had to do something. I had to protect you."

Freya was listening to him so attentively. She was swallowing his words.

"Is not your fault."She tried to comfort him, but he didn't hear a word of what she said.

"I suppose to protect you," Snart said, forcing himself to look Freya in the eyes as he spoke.

"Leonard," His name escaped her mouth and it sounded like a melody. She grabbed his face with both of her hands and made him look into her eyes. They were full of tears, and her vision was blurred. "Don't… don't shut me out. Please."

He closed his eyes at her touch. Her hands felt so good against his cheeks, he wished time would stop. He raised his hands and grabbed her wrists. His thumbs stroked the bottom of her palms and, gently, he bent his head forward. She met him halfway, and she rested her forehead against his. This sudden proximity they were sharing, he had always forbidden himself to allow it. Now he knew why.

Freya was on the verge of tears. Sure, she was all too familiar with this kind of guilt. Being at fault for something she lost control of. But this time she truly hated herself for it.

"Take your time,"S nart said softly, pushing a few strands of loose hair back from Freya's face.

Freya nodded, not knowing what to say.

* * *

Leonard was worried, actually, he had passed over from worried into panicked when a whole week had passed and Freya had barely left the bedroom, spending all his time in bed, the curtains drawn, and not saying anything the entire time. He had known that it was going to be hard, but he'd expected Freya to be more energetic, snapping whenever he got the chance and not resting until he figured out his next move. Freya likes this… Snart couldn't take it.

He slowly pushed open the door of the guest bedroom, the bundle of blankets on the bed shifting slightly when he sat down on the bed the only sign his girlfriend was still alive.

"Hey, Freya, I'm worried about you. You've barely got out of bed since the…" Snart trailed off, not wanting to mention the word 'prison'.

"I'm just tired," Freya said in a quiet, croaky voice, so unlike the commanding, persuasive one Snart was used to. But hearing her speak at all, Snart could only take it as a positive sign. She needed it to be a positive sign, she needed it to get better.

"You've been sleeping for a week."

Snarr didn't get it, how could he, Freya thought. Her life hadn't crashed and burned, she hadn't seen everything she had worked for crumble around her while knowing it was all her fault. She didn't know what it was like to see everything you used to define your life by disappearing, and now you were nothing.

"I'm tired of life, Lenny. If I even have one anymore."

Snarr heart ached at how defeated Freya sounded, and at the fact that in Freya's eyes, Snart wasn't enough. He wasn't a life. "You have me."

"For how much longer? I'm not exactly the woman you dated. You promised to spend your life with a respected, former soldier, not a killer." Freya said, spitting out that last bit. That was partly why she had been hiding away in this room, hoping the distance would somehow make it easier when Snart inevitably walked out and found someone worth loving.

"The woman I am dating wouldn't give up either"

"I guess that just proves it. She's gone."

"No, she's somewhere here, she's just hiding" Snart said, sliding into the bed so that he was lying next to Freya, who moved into her almost out of instinct. "I just hope she comes back soon, I miss her. I need her." Snart said, his voice shaking, and he buried his head against Freya's shoulder.

Freya placed his hand over Snart's, his arm having come round to hold Freya close, and he gave it a small squeeze. He was still filled with an aching sadness, but the void within his chest was inhabited now by a small spark of light, of hope, from having Snart there. Freya could no longer pretend that she didn't need the physical comfort she had been avoiding for so long, or that she didn't need Snart or Barry or Tommy there with her. She could only hope that Snart meant what he was saying, that he really would stay with her, and hope that they would somehow make their way through this.

* * *

Freya felt the breath she was holding release, and her body relaxes with the exhale. Calmly, Freya walked through the graveyard to her friends' headstones, wrapping her arms around herself. Kneeling down the second she got to the site, Freya looked at the engraving in the granite.

Nora Allen

Beloved daughter-mother-friend

Henry Allen

Beloved son-father-friend

Freya sat down, her back against the cold stone and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. Her legs sprawled out in front of her, one knee bent.

"Hey guys" her voice cracked, "everything's good." Rolling her head back and forth, she backtracked. "That's wrong. Nothing's good.

"Why?"I am not a good person. "' She said and she got a gully from the bottle. For years she has been refused to show emotions, she did not leave tears run out of her eyes at Nora`s funeral.

" I am a monster. Just look at me! I'm neither fully human nor fully robot! I'm a monster. You will never understand what this feels like. Because you have died.''She said without taking her eyes form the tomb. 'Barry deserves someone better than me to be his protector. My boys are my life and my light and you two never gave me a straight answer to making me his godmother."

"I want my happy ending ''She said and walks away from the tomb but stopped and stared at his friends' tomb

Freya came out of the graveyard and threw the bottle into a bowl.

* * *

Freya knows she should go home, that even though the hospital discharged her.

She should go home, wash off the pain of the day under scalding water, put on fresh clothes, and hope tomorrow she can forget about it, push it down, bury it for sometime later when she'll have the time and space to deal with this and everything else she's buried.

But she doesn't go home, because she almost died too, and there's a part of her that feels sick for feeling so thankful that she made it when they didn't, but she knows its useless.

So she's alive, and there's a certain thrill of adrenaline that comes with the bright acidic realization of that fact, and so she's not even sure she thought about it consciously but she shows up at Snart's door. It's late but not too late, she knows Snart is a night owl, and besides that, Freya knows she has an open invitation to show up because they barely get to see each other as is, Snart never turns her away.

Snart swings the door open, and his eyes widen with surprise, and it catches Freya off guard because he's never seen this reaction before, usually only met with appreciation, gentle affection. "Freya..." His name usually sounds so sweet on Snart's tongue, so reverent, and it's not that it's missing, there's just something else there that Freya doesn't quite recognize. Concern, or fear maybe.

"Shut up" Freya breathes out trying to bite back a smile. "Just shut up and kiss me"

Snart frowns, and that's also not the reaction Freya was expecting."What the hell-"

Freya glances down at her shirt like she's startled, and she reaches a hand up to touch his cheek. When she pulls it away, dry rust-colored flakes fleck the tip of her fingers.

"Are you hurt? What happened?" Snart continues when Freya doesn't respond, ushering Freya into his apartment, closing the door.

"No, no," Freya shakes her head, "it's not mine.

"You killed someone?" Snart fired back with a grin,

Freya smiled again, dropping her gaze for a moment before looking back up at Snart, "Kiss me, please"

Snart nodded and he pulled Freya in for a kiss, smiling. Previously, Snart hadn't been a fan of kissing unless it was a mere dalliance before a nice fuck. But now, just the soft press of his lips against Freya's… he could get lost in it. Each lingering touch just pulled Snart back for more.

Freya's fingers wove through Snart's hair just as his tongue ran along Snart's lower lip. Snarr shivered; he parted his lips and pressed Freya against the door, needing to feel him. Freya groaned, pulling Snart's hair so he could mouth sloppy kisses along Snart's jaw.

Snart's hands were trembling on Freya's hips, but he could handle it, he could savor it—

It took a while for Snart to notice something was different, that there was tension in the air, as he came down from his orgasm. It wasn't until his breathing had evened out, hand instinctively reaching for Freya only to be met with a greater gap between them that he'd anticipated, that he could feel the switch.

"What's wrong?" He asked before he had even opened his eyes, an odd mix of apprehension and guilt swirling low in his stomach.

He opened his eyes, taking a deep breath before turning his head to look at Freya, who was resting on his side, head propped up by one hand, staring down at the sheets.

"Freya?"

Freya took a deep breath that shook on the exhale, and Snart's heart skipped a beat in response, wondering what could be so bad when everything had seemed so perfect just moments ago.

"Nothing's wrong," Freya settled on, and despite the fact that she wouldn't look up, his voice oozed sincerity, a juxtaposition Snart's sex-hazed mind couldn't seem to process.

"Then why are you all the way over there instead of wrapped around me like usual?"

He hated how uncertain he sounded, how suddenly small and vulnerable he must seem. But in a way, Freya seemed small and vulnerable, too, something Snart had never witnessed before, in all the time they'd been doing this.

Freya inched closer to Snart, still keeping some of the distance between them. For a moment they were both silent, Snart watching Freya, mind and heart racing while Freya just remained still, pensive, oozing uncertainty.

"I think…" Freya started eventually, reaching out to splay her hand across Snart's chest before finally, finally making eye contact, expression warm but etched with anxiety and something else she couldn't quite read. "I think I might be falling in love with you."

The admission hit him like a punch to the gut, winding him in the process, so much so that he couldn't quite form any kind of response. It was only when Freya ducked her head with a rueful smile, removing her hand from Snart's chest, that he was snapped into action.

His first instinct was to grab Freya's hand and hold it in place above her heart so he could feel how wildly it was beating. Freya's eyes came back up to meet his, but there was no hint of a smile this time, just a resigned sort of sadness.

"Freya," Snart whispered, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat before trying again. "I've been in love with you since the second time we fell into bed together and you fell asleep while I was...you know."

Freya's cheeks tinged pink, but that smile was back, shy and embarrassed, but unmistakable.

"Really? That's possibly the most embarrassed I've ever been in my life."

Snart laughed, lacing his fingers with Freya's, pulling her hand up to kiss her knuckles.

"I thought it was...sweet."

"I thought you were offended."

Snart shook his head, shifting closer so he could press a kiss to Freya's lips, soft and sweet and tender in all the ways he'd been just shy of before, too scared of exposing his true feelings in what was supposed to be something casual between friendly adversaries.

"You let your guard down in front of me. You were...vulnerable. You trusted me. How could I not fall for you right then and there?"

It was Freya's turn to laugh, ducking his head to press it into the crook of Snart's neck.

"This was supposed to be casual," she muttered, voice muffled by the skin.

"Does it matter?"

"No," Freya said quickly, pulling back to look Snart in the eye as he cupped his cheek. "Not at all. I wouldn't change this for anything."


	13. Chapter 13

She tries not to squeal. "Okay, I understand."

"Besides what do you think how much money I earn?"

"Well, your wardrobe genuinely makes me wonder."

"And again besides, I'm the one who likes pretty things so let's not spoil him."

Laurel needs to laugh at that, but bites back a comment. Love sickness is a beautifully refreshing look on Oliver, it's quite cute and she knows how much Barry loves that, too.

They continue to check out options and narrow it down to three examples that almost look exactly the same to Laurel and that Oliver is considering for the past thirty minutes.

"Do you have a plan about when to pop the question?"

"No." Oliver has put one of the rings on his finger and holds it in different angles underneath the light. "But he loves romance. I'm thinking during the next week I'm gonna buy flowers, take him to a movie, cook for him-"

"Just don't spoil him too much."

"Buy him gifts and the whole deal. Just treat him good for a week or so."

"Won't he realize something's off if you're suddenly so romantic?"

Oliver doesn't even try to be offended because it's true. These are all things barry did for him the past 4 months. Now he is going to get it all back.

"Do you seriously think he'll think I'll propose?"

Laurel chuckles. "No, you're right."

She points with her finger to the second ring on the counter, even though she doesn't think so but she wants to push Oliver to a decision. "I like that one more."

"Right? The band should have some width even if he has slim fingers."

"Yes, absolutely." Laurel doesn't see the pount but decides that Oliver only expects affirmation.

"I may just ask him in bed, before we go to sleep or during breakfast."

"A normal situation. I like that."

"Yeah, I keep thinking about what to say."

Laurel is quite baffled that the eloquent CEO doesn't know what to say to the man who he looks at as if he had hung the moon.

"Just let your heart speak."

"Maybe not silver but rose gold after all." Oliver puts the ring back on the counter.

Laurel doesn't know what she is here for anyway, but the thought that the whole selection process would start all over again puts her into shock.

"He will say 'yes', you know that, right?"

"Ugh, it's just not going to be perfect, is it?"

"Simply the fact that you're proposing will be perfect to Barry."

"I mean the way our whole thing went is less than perfect."

Oliver looks at the variety of simple bands that the jeweler who had obviously given up on trying to give Oliver his opinion laid out on the counter.

"What are you talking about? You two fit together perfectly in a weirdly odd way."

"The first time we kissed was literally in an dark alley because I was too jealous of anyone who weew touching Barry."

"Hah?"Laurel hears this story the first time and tries to make Oliver keep talking by not encouraging him.

"The first time we fucked was in my office, after we finished a whole bottle of Scotch. "

Laurel smiles to the jeweler who had decided to say absolutely nothing.

"It took me so long to admit my feelings. ."

"You helped him come out. Give yourself some credit."

"I was so afraid I couldn't make him happy. I still am."

Oliver holds a band in his hand and inspects it closely.

"Amy, it was so obvious Barry admired you. I felt like you were showing your affection through teasing."

"Yeah, he gradually became a huge problem." Oliver almost mumbles to himself, rolling the band between his fingers. "The first time I saw him, everything in my head went silent."

Laurel feels incredibly touched. She knows Oliver loves Barry, but maybe she didn't know how much.

"I'm not saying it was love at first sight. He looked hideous. But it was like something fell into place when we met. I didn't know what it meant at that time. But I knew there was something about him."

Laurel holds back a little tears. She smiles warmly. "You should say that when you propose."

Oliver sends her a long look. "I take that ring."

Laurel is shocked and relieved that after five different shops and three and a half hours Oliver's decision comes confident and sudden.

"Titanium is a good choice, sir

* * *

It was raining that night. The full moon night in October. It matched Freya`s mood perfectly. She was on the ground in front of the Merlyn house. Freya watched her godson and his girlfriend were sitting , Tommy was feeding Caitlin grapes, and they were just as adorable as they should. Freya had accepted Tomnh's suggestion to stay home as if she want to spent tine with Tommy but realized he was in good hands when she was in the house and saw Tommy in his girlfriend's arms and a jitious pass through but decided to ignore.

Freya refused to look Malcolm as she could not believe what he did a week to her.

Freya walked to his living room of Merlyn's home to see the majesty of Malcolm Merlyn in all his glory.

"I should skin you alive. Did I?" asked Freya as she stood in the living room door, she leaned over the doorway with her hands on her breast.

"Freya, I crossed a line," he informs him. "I put you in a horrible position with Snart, and if it's caused you any problems—"

"Of course it's caused me problems," she cuts his off, because even if Lenny is being the best partner, the best person he could possibly be, even if he's handling this better than Freya had any right to expect, Freya isn't in the mood to belittle how much he built the oncoming disaster up in his head ahead of time, how much undue stress it caused her.

"I messed with your life," he begins firmly. "And I made you think that you couldn't trust my judgment."

"Your judgment?"Freya snaps. "Malcolm, you of _all_ people should know how I would react to something like that! You know how hard it's been for me to live with people.I `ve struggled with that my entire life, you know how hard it is for me to—to _trust_ people, you know what it does to me when people _break_ that trust!"

"So keep trusting me," Malcolm beseeches. "You and I, we are as close as two people can get, so trust me when I say that it didn't mean anything. Freya, I didn't feel anything when I kissed you; whatever I thought might be there, it wasn't, so if that's what you're worried about, you can just stop."

Her every instinct tells Freya to keep pushing, to scream something else in him face, some scathing insult to rebuke such a stupid, stupid argument, but his eyes are fierce and his fists are clenched, his breathing already labored; he's gearing up for the fight, he's _waiting_ for her to bait him.

He really thinks he's right. He really, really doesn't get it.

"You think I'm worried that you're in love with me?" she asks icily. "You think that after what you did to me, I'm worried that you might be suffering from some…tragically unrequited romantic fantasy?"

"I—"

"Because I don't give a _shit_ whether or not you're in love with me," she cuts her off, "you had no right, _no right_ to do what you did. You had absolutely _no_ right to kiss me without my permission, without any warning, and whatever you were trying to figure out, it was _completely_ unfair of you to use me like that to do it."

"Leonard wants to torture you."She says coolly.

He nods, and she'd love to be able to forgive him so easily, she really would. "He cares about you."

Her eyes narrow against the breeze. "I know."

Malcolm turns to her, hoping to meet her gaze, and he decides not to extend the olive branch.

Freya can not think of anything when the phone rang

''Zoom''said the voice and Freya was out of the house before the voice could say something else.

* * *

Freya ran as fast as she could to the safe house of her boyfriend to see the blood ,the corpse and Lisa.

Lisa fell to her knees and crawled over to her brother, tears running rapidly down her cheeks and to the ground. She carefully pulled her brother onto her lap, supporting her head. Tears falling onto Lenny's face and into the cut opened throat. As the weather seemed to pick up on the adult's emotions, it started to rain lightly than got heavier. "Please please don't leave me. You can't! You promise mom! You promised to stay and protect me! Said you wouldn't ever leave!" Lisa cried out to her brother

Mick had watched hii best friend`s sister run across the yard with unnatural speed for her, to her brother. Scott could feel the grief, shock, disbelief, anger, and absolute hate for the murder. He tried approaching his friend but Shawn stopped him. "Give her a second." Shawn said looking at the grief stricken woman. Mick couldn't leave his sister alone yelling at her brother for leaving her. He went to walked over to her, but Freya had beaten him to it.

Freya walked over to Lida. She was now soaked in blood. Her hands and arms covered in blood. She wiped his face repeatedly to trying stopping the tears, but they didn't and her face was smeared with blood. Freya kneeled beside her, arm around the younger woman's shoulder. Lisa glanced at the older woman. "H-he said...h-he promised..m-mom...he c-can't die. H-he just can't. I can't be left alone!" Lisa stuttered out, pain evident in her tone. Freya carefully pulled off the teens lap. Closing her eyes and pulling off her jacket to cover his face and a good amount of area after his throat.

Lisa watched Freya cover her brother up. She looked at the blood that covered her own body. She now realized she was shaking. Badly. Freya had helped her to stand. Lisa looked at her than at Shawn, Mick than Mark. All showing pained expressions for Lisa. She could see tears running out of Mick`s eyes. Lisa's brother was like Mick's brother. The rain didn't help the blood wash away from Lisa. But mixed with it and her tears.

Lisa looked back at the soldier. Lisa wrapped her arms around the woman's mid-section, hugging tightly and sobbing into the woman's chest. It took a minute but Freya wrapped her arms around the younger woman shoulders, a rubbed her back. They all stood in the pouring rain, getting soaked.

The silence only filled by Lisa's sobs, the rain hitting the porches' and the patrol car's hoods. Clutching the back of Freya's shirt.

This October's full moon was going to be a horrible reminder every year, just like the day his mother died. The date. October 16. Lisa wouldn't be able to deal with this alone

* * *

Barry was leaned back in a swirling chair with his feet kicked up on the computer desk and a book in his hands when Oliver returned. The Flash suit was hung up on a mannequin already, but Oliver had just finished patrol. Barry turned and looked up with a grin as Oliver trekked up the ramp to meet him.

"Surprise," Barry tilted his head back as his boyfriend came up behind his chair. "I got the rogues to cover for me so I could visit."

"Perfect timing," Oliver murmured, leaning down to press his lips to Barry's briefly. When he pulled away, Barry leaned up, chasing his lips with a small pout as he closed his book and set it aside.

"Come on, Ollie," he whined. "That's all I get after a month?"

Oliver smirked as he stepped further away and detached his quiver from his back. "You've waited that long, you'll survive waiting long enough for me to change."

Barry bit his lip, but said no more about his as he dropped his legs to the floor and rose from the chair to follow Oliver back down the ramp.

"I hear you had a run in with some guys from Gotham last week," Oliver said conversationally as he went about stripping his green and hanging it up. "I hope they didn't give you too much trouble."

"Nah," Barry waved him off. "It was a couple of the younger ones, I don't think the bat even knew they were there. They're good kids."

"One way to put it," Oliver pulled his shirt over his head and returned to bring Barry to him by his waist. "How many kids does he have now?"

"I lost count," Barry wrapped his skinny arms around Oliver's shoulders and bent his head down until his forehead reached the juncture of Oliver's head and collarbone. "I think a couple of them were dead for a while."

"Not exactly new for us," Oliver dipped his head and nudged Barry's with his shoulder until their lips met.

Barry hummed contentedly as he rose to Oliver's challenge, moving their lips in time and bringing his hands in to Oliver's neck and pulling him closer. One of Oliver's hands left Barry's waist and rose to his own neck to grip one of Barry's and bring it down.

Barry just held tighter and tilted his head back for Oliver's ease of access. Then he froze.

"Ollie," he said slowly. "Did you just put a ring on my finger?"

"Maybe," Oliver smirked as Barry pulled back to look at him. "If you want."

Barry lifted his left hand, still in Oliver's grip, and examined his hand. The ring was simply a silver band engraved with a few swirling lines. Nothing fancy, but gorgeous in Barry's eyes.

"Hmm," he turned his hand to watch the light bounce off the silver in different directions. "Central to Starling is going to be a long commute once we live together."

"Does that mean you're saying yes?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.

Barry only offered him a smirk and a slow, sweet kiss. "Only for you, Ollie." He whispered against his lips. "I'll say yes for you."


	14. Chapter 14

Freya doesn't remember how she got into Malcolm Merlyn's bed that night, her head was aching and she felt sick to her stomach from all of the tequila shots. In her mind she hoped that he would wake up with Lenny next to her once more.

Except for this time, Lenny was dead.

Lenny has been dead for less than a week and Freya was already in bed with another man.

What was wrong with her? Did Leonard really mean so little to hee that she hopped into bed with someone the second she died? Where did it all go wrong?.

_FLASHBACK_

_Freya wrapped her arms around her stomach in content as she cuddled with her blanket on the couch. She'd been sitting there in Len's long sleeves binge watching shows on Netflix all day and she couldn't be any prouder. She glanced at the clock for the time. It was a little after 9pm. Len would be here to visit soon, so they could decorate for Christmas and Kwanzaa because Len insisted and Freya would never say no._

_Freya smiled as she heard the door unlock and Len stepped into the living room boots off, with navy long sleeve and tight black jeans. He greeted Freya with a small smile then stopped._

_"Is that?"_

_"Yes it is and you can't do anything about it." Freya asserted._

_Len's smile grew. "My shirt looks good on you."_

_Freya looked down at herself with a grin. "Of course it does. It's my boyfriend's shirt." she said as the too long sleeves flopped comically._

_Len shook his head as he placed a soft kiss on Freya's forehead._

_"Oh, and babe, hot cocoa's in the kitchen for you with more than enough mini marshmallows." Freya said as she turned back t the TV._

_END FLASHBACK_

Freya thought about how we can never kiss him again, he tried all he had to not cry and wake Merlyn up.

_FLASHBACK_

_Lenny had made dinner for her that night, she remembers the soft candle lighting, the smell of the food, how content she felt at that moment._

_"What's with the flowers and candles?, are you trying to seduce me Captain Cold?" She smirked which always made the man blushed._

_Lenny cleared his throat; "Yes? Maybe?" He giggled._

_God, how Freya already misses his laugh._

_"Iwantyoutomarryme." He spat out fast, looking down at the table right after he said it._

_"I- what was that?"_

_, "I want you to marry me," He said it more clearly. When he kneeled next to her Freya remembers how much her heart filled and his stomach dropped._

_"I know this might feel too fast and I would understand if you said no, but hear me out first. These past couple months have been the best months of my life, and I know our lives are crazy and there's so many changes that are happening and I just-" He had to catch his breath. "I love you and I know for a fact that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so Freya Nova will you marry me?"_

_END FLASHBACK_

Freya didn't realize she was sobbing until Merlyn woke up.

"Freya? Are you okay- god I'm so sorry," Malcolm sat up quickly, looking at her worryingly.

"I-" Freya was stuttering and trying to catch her breath. "G-God I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have- Fuck I'm so sorry Mal."

Cradling her head in her hands, she sobbed and continued to call out for the man that was no longer listening.

"I love you." She whispered, the words feeling heavy on hee tongue.

"Freya-" he paused, blinked and corrected himself, "F, hey, it's okay, you're okay,"

He continued rambling mindless comforts as he perched apprehensively on the couch next to Freya, leaving a few inches between them. Despite his obvious confusion as to why Freya was so upset, the concern in his expression was unmistakable. Merlyn tentatively reached out and took Freya's hand in his, dragging it away from his wet, splotchy face and squeezing.

"You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but Freya, I need to know what I can do to help you."

Freya had never seen Malcolm look so open, so vulnerable.

Malcolm wasn't Lenny, obviously. Where Lenny stood just that little bit taller than Freya, Malcoom was much shorter. Where Lenny's body looked as if it had been chiseled like some Greek statue, Malcoom was soft around the edges. Where Malcolm was forward and honest about his thoughts and feelings, with Lenny, Freya was left to read between the lines.

He wasn't Lenny, he never would be Lenny, but maybe that didn't matter.

"Freya?"

"I-" Freya was stuttering and trying to catch her breath. "G-God I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have- Fuck I'm so sorry Malcolm."

Freya grabbed her clothes and got dressed as quickly as she could, she was a sobbing mess and couldn't catch her breath. It wasn't until Malcolm got her attention for him to calm down.

"We were engaged-" Freya cut him off, "we asked me to marry him the night before he-", she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I didn't know-," Freya knew that Malcolm felt awful, which made him feel guilty. Malcolm didn't deserve her baggage. "Please don't, I'll see you at the weddinv Monday.."; she then grabbed his jacket and left. Not fully knowing where she was going or how she was gonna live without Lenny.


End file.
